MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th November, 2020) Indonesia may be forced to delay the launch of its Satria communications satellite till the fourth quarter of 2023 due to COVID-19 disruptions in production, media reported citing authorities.
"COVID-19 has affected Satria's procurement and production," Communications Minister Johnny Plate said, according to Jakarta Post.
The government has notified the International Telecommunication Union (UTI) and requested a 14-month extension of the assigned orbital slot above the country, the minister said.
The UTI can grant the slot to another entity, should Indonesia not place its craft there by the original deadline of March 2023. The communications ministry is also exploring the option of temporarily parking another one of its satellites in the assigned slot until the satellite is ready to launch, Jakarta Post reported.
Satria is designed to have a bandwidth capacity of 150 billion bits per second which outstrips all nine of the country's satellites by three times. It will aim to solve Indonesia's internet connectivity issues, as providing access across the country's sprawling expanse of islands has proved uniquely challenging. According to Jakarta Post, the satellite will aim to push the country's internet penetration rates above the 70 percent mark, which has thus far eluded it.
