Indonesia to Launch New Satellite on Elon Musk's SpaceX

State-owned telecommunications company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom Indonesia) plans to launch its Telkom 4 satellite in a year’s time to replace the Telkom 1 satellite.

“We have signed a contract to launch the Telkom 4 satellite. It will be launched from the United States in August 2018,” said PT Telkom president director Alex J. Sinaga during a press conference .

Telkom 4 is manufactured by Space Systems Loral (SSL) and will be launched by SpaceX. It will have transponders for the domestic market and some to be marketed in India. 

Alex said the name of the satellite was still tentative, as his company was still considering possible names. The satellite, which will be placed in orbit slot 108 BT, the current location of Telkom 1, will have a 15-year lifespan, similar to Telkom 1.

“Telkom will closely monitor the progress on Telkom 4 to make sure that the satellite will be launched as scheduled,” Alex said.

Source : The Jakarta Post