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)