Indonesia intends to increase broadband web gain access to throughout its nation through the launch of its newest interactions satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The Telkomsat HTS 113BT satellite, likewise described as Merah Putih 2, took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 3:11 p.m. EST (2011 UTC).
In spite of some windy conditions, the Falcon 9 rocket had the ability to jump off the pad at the start of its two-hour launch window.
The Falcon 9 very first phase booster that supported this objective, tail number B1067, made its 17th flight. Its previous launches consisted of Crew-3, Crew-4 and a set of Cargo Dragon spacecraft objectives to the International Space Station. It likewise introduced PSN Satria, another Indonesian interactions satellite, in June 2023.
About 8.5 minutes following liftoff, B1067 arrived at the SpaceX droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions.’ This was the very first trip for JRTI given that B1058 fell over while going back to Port Canaveral in Florida in December. Tuesday’s objective marked the 72nd landing on JRTI and the 276th general booster landing. This was likewise SpaceX’s 16th launch in 2024.
The Merah Putih 2 satellite effectively released from the Falcon 9 2nd phase more than 34 minutes into the flight.
Implementation of @Telkomsat Merah Putih 2 verified pic.twitter.com/6VHchNOnOR
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 20, 2024
Broadening web gain access to
The satellite poised to release on Tuesday was developed by Thales Alenia Space based upon its Spacebus 4000B2 platform. The business stated the Merah Putih 2 satellite “will offer more than 32 Gbps capability over Indonesia.”
It weighs about 4 metric lots and will run at an orbital position of 113 ° East for 15 years. According to the publication Telecom Reviewthe contracted work was valued at 3.8 trillion INR ($242.8 million).
“It’s extremely satisfying to be able to support our consumer’s service advancement after Telkom 3S. HTS 113BT is the 4th telecom program to serve the Indonesian satellite operators verifying that Thales Alenia Space has the ability to match its consumers’ requirements by providing a broad telecom satellites item variety,” stated Hervé Derrey, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space in a 2021 declaration.
The Merah Putih 2, which equates to “red and white” in Indonesian, will be the 2nd satellite that SpaceX will release on behalf of Telkomsat. The very first was the Merah Putih, which was previously called Telkom-4, which introduced aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on Aug. 7, 2018, from the Cape.
That objective likewise marked the very first preflight of a Falcon 9 Block 5 booster.
Merah Putih 2 will be released to a geosynchronous transfer orbit approximately 33 minutes after liftoff.