Indonesia and SpaceX launched the country’s largest telecommunication satellite from the US on Monday in a $540 million initiative to connect rural parts of the archipelago to the internet.
Indonesia’s eastern islands, where two-thirds of its 280 million live, lack internet access.
“Satellite technology will accelerate internet access to villages in areas that cannot be reached by fiber optics in the next 10 years,” stated senior Indonesian minister Mahfud MD before the launch.
Thales Alenia Space’s 4.5-tonne Satellite of the Republic of Indonesia (SATRIA-1) was launched from Florida by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and landed offshore.
The satellite will orbit Indonesia’s eastern Papua. The Indonesian government claimed it would provide internet connectivity to 50,000 public service points at 150 gigabytes per second.
The government and PT Satelit Nusantara Tiga are partners on the project.
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