Neo-1 Satellite Launched Early 2027, BRIN Claims Mission Cost 71.9 Percent More Economical

JAKARTA - The National Research and Innovation Agency targets the Neo-1 satellite to be launched in early 2027. The satellite is prepared to generate image data independently, ranging from monitoring agriculture to monitoring the sea area.

BRIN Head Arif Satria conveyed the plan when meeting President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace Complex, Thursday, August 6.

"The Neo-1 satellite developed by BRIN will be launched in early 2027," said Arif.

According to Arif, Neo-1 will support the agricultural, forestry, marine, disaster mitigation, and maritime surveillance sectors.

Satellite imagery is an image of the earth's surface recorded from space. The data can be used to see land changes, forest conditions, disaster-affected areas, to activities in the waters.

Arif said the development of Neo-1 also provided mission cost efficiency of around 71.9 percent compared to similar missions. However, he did not mention the total cost of development or the comparator used in the calculation.

Neo-1 is part of BRIN's aerospace technology development. The institution also develops aircraft designs, unmanned aerial vehicles, remote sensing satellites, and space technology.

Besides Neo-1, BRIN has licensed the N219 aircraft to PT Dirgantara Indonesia for production.

BRIN currently has a network of research facilities, including satellite ground stations, aircraft and rocket testing facilities, and high-performance computing centers.

Arif said that mastering space technology is needed so that Indonesia does not only buy and use the technology of other countries. The challenge now is to bring the results of the research into the needs of the government, industry, and society.