Johnny G Plate Checks The HBS Satellite Readiness In America, Here Are The Results

JAKARTA - The Minister of Communication and Information, Johnny G Plate held a meeting with Boeing, SpaceX, and Hughes Network System (HNS) in Los Angeles, United States, Monday, July 25 local time or Tuesday, July 26 Indonesian time. During the consecutive meeting, the Minister of Communication and Information wanted to ensure that the commercial operation of the Hot Backup Satellite (HBS), which involved the manufacture and launch of the three companies, took place according to schedule.

The Minister of Communication and Information at the meeting was accompanied by the Director of the Telecommunication and Information Accessibility Agency (Bakti) of the Ministry of Communication and Information Anang Latif, the Director General of Resources for Post and Information Equipment (SDPPI) of the Ministry of Communications and Information Ismail, the Director General of Information and Public Communication of the Ministry of Communication and Information Usman Kansong, the President Director of Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) Adi Rahman. Adiwoso. PSN is a private company that cooperates with Bakti Kemkominfo in the procurement of satellites.

After the meeting, Minister Johnny expressed his optimism that the launch schedule and commercial operations of HBS were on time. The Minister of Communication and Information is also optimistic that the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical situation will not hinder Indonesia's digital transformation process through satellite procurement.

The HBS satellite as a form of collaboration between the Ministry of Communication and Information and the private sector has a capacity of 160 gigabits per second. The government will use 80 giga bits per second, 70 giga bits per second for the national private sector and 10 giga bits per second for ASEAN countries. This satellite is supported by 18 earth stations in 14 locations (gateways). The main gateway is in Cikarang, West Java.

Minister Johnny met with President of Boeing Commercial Satellite International System Ryan Reid and a number of Boeing executives at Boeing's office in El Segundo, Los Angeles. The Minister of Communication and Information and his entourage had the opportunity to see the progress of making HBS at the Boeing factory. "Boeing confirms that the satellite will be launched in early May 2023 and commercial operations will be in September 2023," said Minister Johnny.

At SpaceX, Johnny G Plate met with Vice President, Mission Management, Jessica Jensen, and Vice President, Commercial Sales, Tom Ochinero at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. The Minister of Communication and Information had the opportunity to visit the SpaceX rocket manufacturing plant. "SpaceX confirms the readiness of the Falcon 9 launcher to orbit HBS as scheduled, early May 2022 at Cape Canaveral, Florida," said Minister of Communications and Informatics Johnny Plate.

In a meeting with the Executive Vice President and General Manager, International Division of HNS Ramesh Ramaswamy, in Los Angeles, the Minister of Communication and Information will ensure that HNS prepares ground station equipment. "HNS has prepared and will install 20,000 terminals for public services for schools, health centers, village offices, Indonesian Army (TNI) border posts and police posts starting in 2022. The work will be done simultaneously to match satellite launches and operations," said Minister Johnny.

President of Boeing Commercial Satellite International System Ryan Reid said his company provides the latest satellite technology that is flexible in providing high-speed data. "This technology allows Boeing's satellite to cover Indonesia's geography and population," he said.

It is acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic and the geopolitical situation affected the production and launch process of HBS with Falcon 9 rockets. To transport satellites and rockets from California to Florida, for example, Antonov aircraft could not be used due to the Russia-Ukraine war. However, the Minister of Communication and Information is optimistic that these obstacles can be overcome so that information and communication infrastructure can serve the community and reduce the digital divide.

"The satellite will be transported by road which will take 9 to 10 days. The rocket launcher is not a problem because it is available in Florida. HNS has also mitigated by securing 20 thousand ground segments as a wifi-satellite signal service terminal," said Johnny G Plate.