
Telkom-1 is a satellite that has played a significant role in Indonesia's communication history. Launched in 1991, it was the country's first domestic communications satellite.
The satellite was designed to provide communication services to Indonesia, particularly in the areas of television broadcasting and telecommunications. Its primary goal was to improve connectivity and bridge the communication gap between Indonesia and the rest of the world.
Telkom-1 was built by the French company Aérospatiale, and it was launched from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.
You might like: List of Communication Satellite Companies
Launch
Telkom-1 was successfully launched on August 12, 1999.
The launch took place at 22:52 UTC from Centre Spatial Guyanais, pad ELA-2, Kourou, French Guiana.
An Ariane-42P H10-3 rocket was used for the launch.
This was a crucial step in positioning Telkom-1 in geostationary orbit.
Telkom-1 was positioned at 108° East, replacing the Palapa-B2R satellite.
Take a look at this: Cmf Nothing Phone 1 Launch Streaming
Satellite Information
Telkom-1 is built on the Lockheed Martin A2100A satellite bus, featuring communications satellite technology.
The satellite has 24 C-band and 12 Enhanced C-band transponders, which significantly improve communications coverage across Indonesia.
Explore further: Iridium Communications
Telkom-1 replaced the on-orbit Palapa-B2R satellite and allows PT Telkom to expand its coverage area into Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
The new spacecraft is a successor to the Palapa series of satellites, with the first one launched in 1976.
Telkom-1 has a mass of 2,763 kg at launch and 1,700 kg in geostationary orbit (GEO).
Related reading: La to San Francisco Drive Highway 1 - Google Maps
Mission
Telkom-1 had developed problems with the south solar panel drive due to a manufacturing error. The satellite was planned to be decommissioned in 2018 and replaced by Telkom-4.
Telkom-1 lost contact on August 25, 2017, and suffered a massive debris shedding event.
The satellite was retired without being able to move itself into a graveyard orbit.
If this caught your attention, see: Eutelsat 115 West B
Telkom 1 Operations
Telkom 1 was launched in August 1999 and was the backbone of Indonesia's telecommunications network, worth US$200 million or Rp 1.32 trillion.
The satellite was designed to last for 15 years, but it was still operational in mid-August 2017. It was hoped to remain operational until 2022 when it would be replaced by the Telkom 4 satellite.
Check this out: Telkom Indonesia

Telkom 1 supported a variety of telecommunication applications, including high-speed digital traffic compatible with Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) applications. This allowed very small satellite dishes to receive signals, eliminating the need for expensive, fixed-site satellite dishes.
The satellite's payload was built at the Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems facilities in Newtown, PA, and is configured with 24 C-Band and 12 extended C-Band transponders.
Telkom 1 has a vital role in receiving and transmitting information from ground stations. The satellite antenna's position can shift due to solar winds, a change in the Earth's gravity, and space weather disruption.
The biggest impact of the positional shift was felt by the banks that subscribed to VSAT services, which require reliable services and many antennas to transmit and receive VSAT services.
Readers also liked: C Band Frequencies
Telkom 1 Issues
Telkom 1 was launched in 1999 and was worth US$200 million at the time.
The satellite was designed with a 15-year operational life span, but it was still in operation in mid-August 2017, with hopes of continuing until 2022 when it would be replaced by Telkom 4.
A positional shift in a satellite antenna is a rare occurrence, but it can be triggered by factors such as solar winds, changes in the Earth's gravity, and space weather disruptions.
The satellite antenna plays a vital role in receiving and transmitting information from ground stations, and even a slight change can cause the antenna's ground coverage to shift significantly.
Telkom 1's service was disrupted due to an anomaly caused by a shift in the satellite antenna's position.
The biggest impact was felt by banks that subscribed to VSAT services, which require reliable services and many antennas to transmit and receive signals.
Telkom migrated its services from Telkom 1 to its other satellites, including Telkom 2 and Telkom 3S, several hours after the disruption began.
There are currently 63 Telkom 1 clients, including 8 VSAT service providers, and 15,000 antennas that need to be rearranged.
The satellite was built by Lockheed Martin and was designed to provide a 15-year life span, but it has developed problems with the south solar array drive due to a manufacturing error.
On August 25, 2017, Telkom 1 lost contact and suffered a massive debris shedding event, causing disruptions to bank services.
For another approach, see: Inter-satellite Service
The banks affected by the disruption included BCA, Bank Mandiri, BNI, and BRI, with around 17,000 ATMs affected.
The banks had to migrate their services to other satellites, such as Apstar-5 and Telkom 3S, to restore services.
The disruption was caused by the failure of Telkom 1's satellite, which was built by Lockheed Martin.
The satellite was designed to provide a 15-year life span, but it has developed problems with the south solar array drive due to a manufacturing error.
Telkom's director, Alex Sinaga, stated that the company had migrated its services to other satellites, including Telkom 2 and Telkom 3S, and that the process would take around 10 days to complete.
The incident highlights the importance of having a backup plan in place for critical services, such as banking.
Here is a list of the affected banks and the number of ATMs affected:
- BCA: 17,000 ATMs
- Bank Mandiri: 2,000 ATMs
- BNI: unknown number of ATMs
- BRI: unknown number of ATMs
Telkom 1
Telkom 1 is an Indonesian geostationary communications satellite operated by PT Telkomunikasi. It was built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems to link Indonesia's thousands of islands and archipelagos.
The satellite replaced the existing Palapa B2R satellite and was designed to meet the growing requirements for telecommunications services in Indonesia. With an annual increase in demand of approximately 1.5 million telephone line units per year, the satellite's payload was configured with 24 C-Band and 12 extended C-Band transponders.
The A2100A provided TELKOM greater capacity than its earlier satellites, as well as a longer design and maneuver life. The satellite was positioned at 108 degrees East longitude, providing coverage to all of Indonesia, and potentially to parts of Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
TELKOM-1 was optimized to provide a 15-year life span, but may continue to provide service for several years beyond that. The satellite's mass is approximately 2763 kg, and it is equipped with 2 deployable solar arrays and batteries for power.
Here are the key specifications of Telkom 1:
Featured Images: pexels.com


