Telkom-4

Telkom-4

Telkom-4 Merah Putih satellite
Names	Merah Putih
Mission type	Communications
Operator	PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk
COSPAR ID	2018-064A [1]
SATCAT no.	43587
Website	https://telkomsat.co.id/id/
Mission duration	16 years (planned) 3 years, 1 month and 5 days (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Merah Putih
Spacecraft type	SSL 1300
Bus	LS-1300
Manufacturer	Space Systems/Loral
Launch mass	5,800 kg (12,800 lb) [2]
Dry mass	2,000 kg (4,400 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	7 August 2018, 05:18 UTC
Rocket	Falcon 9 Block 5, B1046.2
Launch site	Cape Canaveral, SLC-40
Contractor	SpaceX
Entered service	October 2018
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit[3]
Regime	Geostationary orbit
Longitude	108° East
Transponders
Band	60 C-Band
Coverage area	Indonesia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, India
Palapa constellation ← Telkom-3S

Telkom 4 also known as Merah Putih, is an Indonesian geostationary communication satellite built by Space Systems/Loral that is located at an orbital position of 108° East and is operated by PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk. This satellite is based on the SSL 1300 satellite bus and has a life expectancy of 16 years, this satellite was launched on 7 August 2018, at 05:18 UTC or 12:18 Jakarta Time, using the SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 launcher from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, United States.^[4][5]

Satellite description[]

This satellite carries 60 active transponders consisting of 24 C-Band transponders and 12 Extended C-Band transponders which will serve the Southeast Asia region, including Indonesia, as well as 24 C-Band transponders which will reach the South Asia region. The satellite relies on the SSL 1300 satellite bus with a design life of 16 years with up to 21 years of fuel remaining. The development of the Merah Putih Satellite involves two U.S. companies, namely SSL as a satellite manufacturer and SpaceX as a launch service provider. The total mass of the satellite is 5800 kg. Telkom-4 is devoted to serving High Definition Television (HDTV) broadcasts, GSM and Internet services.

Launch[]

Telkom-4 satellite was launched using SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 B1046.2 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida, United States on 7 August 2018, at 01:18 UTC. The launch of the Telkom-4 satellite marks the first time SpaceX has reused one of the Block 5 variant of the Falcon 9 rocket boosters,^[6] Block 5 is the last variant of the Falcon 9 that the CEO, Elon Musk, hopes to go back and forth in space up to 10 times without significant refurbishment. Previous versions of this rocket were only capable of flying into space twice. After successfully making a flight, Falcon 9 landed on one of SpaceX drone ships, Of Course I Still Love You.

Project cost[]

The launch of the Telkom-4 (Merah Putih) satellite saves around 25% of the cost of launching the previous satellite, the Telkom-3S satellite, which was launched on 15 February 2017, which cost US$215 million. Meanwhile, the Merah Putih satellite only costs US$165 million and includes insurance costs of US$10 million.^[7]

Service users[]

Due to the inadequacy of the Palapa-D satellite to operate until July 2020, while the replacement satellite, Nusantara Dua (Palapa N1),^[8] failed to reach orbit, many TV and radio channels migrated from Palapa-D to Telkom-4.^[9] Below is a list of frequency of channels that have migrated as of July 2020:^[10]

Television channels[]

Radio satellite[]

References[]

External links[]

• Telkom Group – Official Website PT.Telekomunikasi Indonesia.tbk
• Telkomsat – Satellite Operator's Official Website
• Lyngsat Telkom-4 at 108.0°E – channel frequency list