Satelindo makes preparation for satellite launch
Satelindo makes preparation for satellite launch
JAKARTA (JP): PT Satelit Palapa Indonesia (Satelindo), a
private telecommunications operator, is now in the final phase of
preparations for the launching of Palapa-C1, the first of the
country's new generation of telecommunication satellites.
"We are in serious preparations for the Palapa-C1 launching,
which is scheduled for Jan. 31 from Cape Canaveral in Florida,
the United States," Satelindo's chief operating officer,
Dietfried Kuhn, said here yesterday.
The company's director of satellite systems, Sahala Silalahi,
said that the shipment of Palapa-C1 to the launch site had been
conducted on Dec. 12.
"The launch preparations began early this month, both at the
launch site and at Satelindo's earth station on Jl. Daan Mogot,
West Jakarta," Sahala said.
He said that Palapa-C1, which was manufactured by Hughes of
the United States, would replace Palapa-B2P at 113 degrees of the
east longitude at the end of its operational life next month.
In 1993, Satelindo selected the European aerospace consortium
Arianespace to be the launcher of its Palapa-C1 satellite, which
was originally scheduled for launch in October or November 1995
from Kourou in French Guiana.
Arianespace, however, delayed its launching schedules after
two failed launches in 1994 and rescheduled the launching of the
Palapa-C1 into April 1996. The government then asked the American
Lockheed Martin to take over the launching, while Arianespace
was, in turn, assigned to launch the Palapa-C2.
Sahala said that the vehicle which will take Palapa-C1 into
orbit is Atlas IIAS, the latest generation of the Atlas rocket
family built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics.
The Palapa-C1, with a lifespan of about 14 years, has 34
transponders, 28 of which (the standard C band and the extended C
band) will be operated by Satelindo, while six others (the KU
band) will be managed by PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara.
Palapa-C1's transponders would all be leased to domestic and
foreign subscribers, which were mainly broadcasting firms.
"It will take about 44 days from the launch for Palapa-C1 to
replace Palapa-B2P," Sahala said.
In addition to the Palapa-B2P, Indonesia at present operates
three satellites, Palapa-B2R (scheduled to end operation in March
1998) and Palapa-B4 (to end operation in April 2003). The Palapa-
B generation is operated by state-owned PT Telkom.
Sahala said that at the earth station in Daan Mogot, Satelindo
has prepared six antennas, comprising of a full motion antenna
(for the C band), three limited motion antennas (for C band) and
two limited motion antenna (for the KU band).
The main mission of the US$30 million facility on Jl. Daan
Mogot is to track satellites, to receive satellite telemetry, to
send satellite command and to monitor satellite communications.
The facility will fully control Palapa-C1 after the satellite is
in its' orbit.
The earth station also has auxiliary components, including
equipment for orbit tests, communication system monitoring,
dynamic satellite simulation, orbital operations and power
generation.
Satelindo, the owner of the Palapa-C generation, is 25 percent
owned by DeTeMobile of Germany, 45 percent owned by the widely-
diversified Bimantara Group, 7.5 percent by PT Indosat and 22.5
percent by Telkom, both state-owned telecommunications companies.
Besides operating the Palapa C generation, Satelindo which was
established in January 1993, also operates international and
digital cellular telecommunications services.
According to Kuhn, in the coming years, Satelindo will collect
two-thirds of its revenues from the cellular telephone business,
while the remainder will be split almost equally between
international calls and the satellite business. (icn)