Telkom-1
| Company type | Satellite |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | August 12, 1999 |
| Founder | PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk |
| Fate | Decommissioned in 2017 |
| Headquarters | Sunnyvale, California , United States |
Area served | Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinent |
| Products | Communications satellite services |
| Parent | PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk |
Telkom-1 was a geostationary communications satellite constructed by Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, California, specifically for Indonesia's government-owned telecom operator, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk (PT Telkom). It remained operational for almost 18 years, surpassing its intended operational duration of 15 years.
Launch
The satellite was deployed on 12 August 1999 using an Ariane-42P H10-3 rocket from the Centre Spatial Guyanais launch site, pad ELA-2, located in Kourou. The launch occurred at 22:52 UTC. Telkom-1 was stationed in a geostationary orbit at 108° East longitude to take over from the Palapa-B2R satellite.
Satellite description
Telkom-1 utilized the Lockheed Martin A2100A satellite platform and incorporated sophisticated communication systems comprising 24 C-band and 12 Enhanced C-band transponders. It succeeded the Palapa-B2R satellite, improving coverage throughout Indonesia and allowing PT Telkom to extend its services into regions such as Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The launch faced postponements attributed to production challenges. This satellite followed the Palapa series, which initiated with Palapa-A1 in 1976. At launch, Telkom-1 had a total mass of , with a dry weight of while operating in geostationary orbit.
Mission
A manufacturing flaw caused problems with the south solar panel drive mechanism on Telkom-1. Although planned for retirement in 2018 and substitution by Telkom-4, the satellite lost communication on 25 August 2017. It subsequently released considerable debris and was decommissioned without being moved to a designated graveyard orbit.