Tokyo - The High Throughput Satellite (HTS) that will be launched by Telkom through Telkomsat now has an official name. Introducing the Red and White 2 Satellite.
Telkom announced that the Red and White 2 Satellite will launch on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, Florida time, or Wednesday, February 21, 2024, Indonesian time. It will occupy the 113 degrees East longitude orbit slot (113 E).
"The satellite named Red and White 2 will be launched directly from Cape Canaveral, Florida, using the Falcon 9 rocket. Currently, the Red and White 2 Satellite is already at Cape Canaveral and ready to be launched shortly," said Telkom's CEO, Ririek Adriansyah, in a statement on Friday, February 16, 2024.
With a capacity of up to 32 Gbps, the Red and White 2 Satellite carries active transponders consisting of C-band and Ku-band frequencies, which will cover the entire area of Indonesia. Previously, Telkom launched the Red and White Satellite in 2018, placing it in the 108 E orbit slot.
The Red and White 2 Satellite is not a replacement for the Red and White 1 Satellite. Instead, it is a complementary satellite to support more massive digitization in Indonesia.
"The Red and White 2 Satellite is both a hope and a manifestation of Telkom's commitment to supporting connectivity equalization throughout Indonesia, complementing the ground and sea infrastructure we have. Telkom believes that with this equalization of information access, it is expected to accelerate the digitalization of society in various aspects," added Ririek.
In addition, Telkomsat's CEO, Lukman Hakim Abdul Rauf, stated that the Red and White 2 Satellite relies on the Spacebus 4000B2 platform with a design life of 15 years. Its construction was carried out by Thales Alenia Space and SpaceX, which will launch the satellite.
"The partner selection process has also considered the lowest cost per Gbps, resulting in a satellite with greater capacity at a competitive selling price," Lukman added.
