Companies in Indonesia are planning to build up to nine new telecommunications satellites. The Indonesian schemes are part of a recent explosion of interest in space ventures in the Asia Pacific and other fast developing regions of the world.
PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) is to assess bids from Matra Marconi Space, Aerospatiale, Loral, Hughes and Lockheed Martin for a two-satellite Palapa D system. The 60 transponders are designed to replace the Palapa B2R and B4 satellites that were sent into space in 1990 and 1992 respectively.
Hughes Space and Communications has built all previous Palapa A, B and C craft. The $128 million (£85 million) Palapa C1 and C2 satellites, are to be operated by PT Satelindo and will be launched by 1998. Satelindo, a Telkom shareholder, will also take a 50% stake in the use of the Palapa D system.
Another Indonesian company, PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara, which took over the retired Palapa B1 from shareholder Telkom in 1991, is planning to fund a new series of up to seven Multimedia Asia spacecraft to be built in a deal with Space Systems/Loral. Spacecraft launches could begin in 1998.
Multimedia Asia will provide fixed-site telephone services for the 17,000-plus islands in the region in a system that complements the already-committed $700 million Asia Cellular Satellite (ACES).
The two ACES satellites, called Garuda 1 and 2, are being built by Lockheed Martin. The Garuda 1 will be launched by a Proton in 1998, the tenth outstanding international launch contract for the Russian booster.
News of the Indonesian programmes follows a spate of recent announcements of new satellite systems including the Motorola plan for a $6.1 billion global satellite network called M-Star. The US company's scheme is for 72 satellites to provide services to cellular communications providers and private company networks.
Etisalat Telecommunications of Abu Dhabi is assessing bids for a $700 million geostationary satellite system called Al Thuraya to serve Europe and Asia. In Turkey Aerospatiale, the manufacturer of the Turksat communications satellites, is discussing a commercial link-up with the country to establish a Eurasiat system.
Brazil's Embratel and Nahuelsat of Argentine have agreed to join forces to provide private satellite communications services, using the Brasilsat and Nahuelsat spacecraft. European investors in the Nahuelsat include Daimler-Benz, Aerospatiale and Alenia Spazio, the builders of the organisation's satellite, which will be launched in 1997. Brasilsat spacecraft are already operational.
Source: Flight International
