In an unprecedented collaboration, SpaceX, Elon Musk’s pioneering rocket company, and the Indonesian government made history today by launching the country’s most substantial telecommunications satellite from the United States. The project, valued at $540 million (RM2.5 billion), aims to connect Indonesia’s most isolated regions to the internet.
While around two-thirds of Indonesia’s 280 million citizens are already connected to the internet, far-off and underdeveloped islands in the eastern part of the South-east Asian country remain relatively unconnected.
“Satellite technology promises to expedite internet access to villages in areas that fibre optics cannot reach within the next decade,” Senior Indonesian Minister Mahfud MD said in a pre-launch statement.
The 4.5-tonne Satellite of the Republic of Indonesia, dubbed Satria-1, was manufactured by Thales Alenia Space. Its successful deployment into orbit from Florida was facilitated by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which impressively returned to an offshore site in a precision landing.
The satellite will hover in the orbital slot above Indonesia’s eastern Papua region, boasting a throughput capacity of 150 gigabytes per second. This technological marvel will provide internet access to 50,000 public service points, according to the Indonesian government.
This landmark initiative is a collaborative public-private effort between the Indonesian government and local satellite service provider, PT Satelit Nusantara Tiga.
This news story is based on an article from malaymail.com.
