Telkom Indonesia announced that its subsidiary Telkomsat will launch its 11th satellite – and the first in its fleet to feature High Throughput Satellite (HTS) technology – around the middle of next week.
The Merah Putih 2 satellite is scheduled to be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in the US on February 20 (or February 21 in Indonesia’s time zone) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It will be placed in the 113˚ East Longitude orbital slot.
Merah Putih 2 was built by Thales Alenia Space using a Spacebus 4000B2 platform with a lifespan of 15 years. Telkom says the satellite is designed with a capacity of up to 32 Gbps across C-band and Ku-band frequencies that cover all of Indonesia.
Telkom president director Ririek Adriansyah said Merah Putih 2 is an opportunity for Telkom and Telkomsat to strengthen its satellite business portfolio.
“The potential for the backhaul business targeted by this satellite is projected to be very positive,” he said in a statement. “This can be seen from the enthusiasm of prospective corporate customers and VSAT operators who want to use this satellite service.”
When Telkomsat tapped Thales Alenia Space to build the satellite in 2021, the reported cost was INR3.8 trillion (US$242.8 million). Telkomsat main director Lukman Hakim Abd Rauf said on Thursday that “the partner selection process has also considered the lowest cost per Gbps, thereby producing satellites with larger capacities at competitive selling prices.”
The first Merah Putih satellite was launched in 2018 and currently occupies the 108˚ East Longitude orbital slot.