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SpaceX launches satellite to boost Indonesia internet coverage

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The SpaceX Crew-6 mission lifts off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA, March 2, 2023. Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich, EPA-EFE/File " src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/business/06/20/20230620-spacex-crew-6-mission-epa.jpg"/><figcaption>The SpaceX Crew-6 mission lifts off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA, March 2, 2023. <em>Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich, EPA-EFE/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>JAKARTA — Elon Musk&#x27;s company SpaceX and Indonesia have launched a satellite from the United States aimed at bringing high-speed internet to remote areas across the sprawling archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.</p><p>Over a third of Indonesia&#x27;s population do not have access to the web, especially in far-flung areas of the world&#x27;s fourth most populous country.</p><p>The European-built SATRIA-1 took off early Monday Indonesia time from a Florida launch station, deployed by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.</p><p>&quot;SpaceX launched the PSN SATRIA mission to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida,&quot; the firm wrote on its website.</p><p>The satellite -- built by French defense electronics company Thales -- cost $540 million and Jakarta hopes it will connect 90,000 schools, 40,000 hospitals, and government buildings.</p><p>Indonesian President Joko Widodo called it the country&#x27;s &quot;first government-owned multi-function satellite with the biggest capacity in Asia&quot; in an Instagram post on Monday.</p><p>He said it would orbit above Papua province, Indonesia&#x27;s easternmost region.</p><p>It will &quot;distribute internet access, especially for education, health, and public service in the remote, isolated, and outermost areas&quot;, acting communication and informatics minister Mahfud MD said.</p><p>He said SATRIA was an acronym for &quot;Satellite of the Republic of Indonesia&quot;.</p><p>The device is scheduled to come online by 2024 and will offer a connection speed of 150 gigabytes per second -- three times the current speed of satellite internet in the archipelago.</p><p>Thales said in a press release that the satellite would &quot;bridge the digital divide&quot; in Indonesia and be &quot;the most powerful in the Southeast Asia region&quot;.</p><p>Its construction was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, added Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, president commissioner of PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), in a speech broadcast during the launch.</p><p>The company is part of the project in partnership with the Indonesian government.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/02/22/23/starlink-goes-live-in-philippines-spacex">Heads up! Starlink now available in Philippines, says Elon Musk&#x27;s SpaceX</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/04/20/23/spacex-starship-explodes-during-first-flight-test">SpaceX Starship, world&#x27;s biggest rocket, explodes during first flight test</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/03/22/spacex-eyes-starlink-ops-in-ph-before-june-ends-dti">Elon Musk&#x27;s SpaceX eyes rollout of Starlink ops in PH before end of June: DTI</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2143914" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Elon Musk's company SpaceX and Indonesia have launched a satellite from the United States aimed at bringing high-speed internet to remote areas. 