RI needs to support Space Law: Legislator

RI needs to support Space Law: Legislator

COCOA BEACH, Florida (JP): The Indonesian government needs to
prepare to implement its Air Law to boost development of the
country's satellite industry, a legislator said here yesterday.

A member of the House of Representatives, Mohammad Buang, said
that Indonesia would face unbalanced competition with developed
countries for orbital slots for telecommunications satellites.

"Orbital slots over one country should be owned by the
country. But the slot ownership is currently arranged by the
Swiss-based International Telecommunications Union, which allows
a country to place its satellites over other countries," he said.

Buang, a member of DPR's Commission X on research, technology
and environmental affairs, is in Florida to witness the launch of
Indonesia's Palapa-C1 satellite today.

Ben Mesakh, a member of House Commission V which oversees
telecommunications, transportation and public housing affairs, is
also in Cocoa Beach, a small town near Cape Canaveral, and a
commercial launching site for satellites.

Hundreds of telecommunications satellites orbit the earth.
They follow low earth orbits (LEO), sun synchronous orbits (SSO),
earth synchronous orbits (ESO), and geo-stationer orbits (GSO).

According to Buang, the government should cover at least the
GSO in its Air Law. GSO are about 36,000 kilometers from earth.

Indonesia currently has four GSO satellites -- the Palapa B2P
(at 113 degrees east longitude), Palapa-B4 (118 degrees east
longitude), Palapa-B2R (108 degrees east longitude) and Palapa
Pacific 1 (134 degrees east longitude).

Indonesia has arranged dozens of GSO slots with International
Telecommunications UnionI. Indonesia is seeking to secure at
least 24 slots for its Palapa-B generation, Palapa-C generation,
Palapa Pacific, Garuda and Indostar satellites.

"Indonesia should look for support from other developing
countries to prepare its Air Law in line with international
pacts," Buang said.

Indonesian reporters visited launching pad No. 36 at Cape
Canaveral to see Palapa-C1 encapsulated in a 14-meter diameter
and 57-meter high fairing.

Meanwhile, PT Asuransi Jasa Indonesia (Jasindo), the state-
owned insurance company, announced in Jakarta yesterday that it
will insure Indonesia's Palapa-C1 satellite during its launching
in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

It said that under a deal signed recently, Jasindo will
cooperate with PT Citra International Underwriter and 17 other
domestic and foreign insurance companies to insure the satellite
when it is launched Feb. 1.

Jasindo did not disclose details of the insurance contract for
the Palapa-C1 satellite, which was bought by PT Satelindo from
United States-based Hughes Communication International at a price
of US$196.88 million. (icn/hen)