Sunday, June 18, 2023, at 6:21 p.m. EDT, SATRIA-1 was successfully launched using a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC 40) in the United States. (ANTARA/Livia Kristianti/aa)
The satellite launch is an endeavor to equalize development and include the Indonesian public in the digital economy by providing Internet access to the 3T regions and the entire nation. SATRIA-1 will encompass the entire territory of Indonesia, including remote regions.
“This first Indonesian satellite, SATIRA-1, aims to evenly distribute internet access, especially for educational, medical, public service, military, and police purposes,” said acting Communication and Informatics minister Mahfud MD on Monday.
The satellite was launched using Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket. Space X is an American private spacecraft manufacturer and launch corporation. The launch will last approximately ten minutes, and SATRIA-1 will travel to an orbit point located at 146O East Longitude.
Indonesia’s internet access will increase via SATRIA-1.
Arief Tri Hardiyanto, acting president director of Telecommunication and Information Accessibility Agency (BAKTI), stated at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, following the launch of the first internet satellite owned by the Indonesian government, “It was a great accomplishment and success, thanks to the support of the entire Indonesian people.”
After the satellite has reached orbit, PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) and Thales Alenia Space (TAS) will conduct three weeks of In-Orbit Testing to assure the satellite’s functionality. In the first week of December 2023, the In-Orbit Acceptance Review (IOAR) is scheduled to occur as the next phase of the satellite operating series.
Ministry of Communication and Informatics (KOMINFO) will monitor the efficacy of SATRIA’s internet service. It is anticipated that Indonesians will progressively be able to utilize SATRIA-1’s internet capacity beginning in January 2024.
Since 2019, the government has constructed SATRIA-1 to provide equal internet access in public facilities, particularly in the 3T regions. In 2023, the 150-Gbps capacity SATRIA-1 will provide expanded broadband coverage to 50,000 internet-connected public facility points in 3T regions, according to the ministry’s most recent study.
It will provide internet access to all public facilities in 3T regions, including schools, hospitals, community health centers, village offices, and subdistrict offices, as well as security services. In each of these locations, internet speeds will reach 4 Mbps, which is four times faster than the 1 Mbps predicted for each location in 2018.
The ministry will also launch the Hot Backup Satellite (HBS) in the third quarter of 2023. The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information stated that satellites are the finest and quickest option for the equitable dissemination of the internet.