Indonesia Expects Big Inspiration From Little Satellite Project

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Some of the country’s leading scientists are taking very, very small steps toward building their own satellite — a 10-kilogram version called a “nanosatellite.”

The nanosatellite project, currently still at the proposal stage, is the brainchild of several scientists and lecturers from leading universities, including the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) in Surabaya, the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).

“The main mission of this project is for educational and research purposes in satellite technology,” said Gunawan Setyo Prabowo, a researcher from the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan), adding that the project could eventually lead to Indonesia producing its own satellite.

He said the nanosatellite was a joint university research project generated from the merging of two similar initiatives that had already been in development.

Lapan had previously formed a consortium with the University of Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University and ITB to develop the Inasat, or Indonesia Nanosatellite. ITS, meanwhile, had its own project, called Inspire, or Indonesian Nanosatellite Platform Initiative for Research and Education.

“We saw that we had similar ideas so we formed a new cooperation that will involve the students,” Gunawan said.

He said the nanosatellite was conceived as an educational project for students from the undergraduate to doctoral level to get hands-on experience in satellite technology. He said the project’s main goal was to give students the opportunity to take part in a real-life project to supplement their classroom studies.

He said nanosatellites could also potentially be used as a cost-effective way to bolster the country’s early warning weather systems or to test communications equipment.

“The project involves up to 20 researchers and we are currently working on the proposal that comprises the satellite design and the budget,” said Dadet Pramadihanto, a scientist involved in the project from ITS.

He said that financial support would be sought from the Ministry of National Education, adding that the estimated cost of the project would be at least Rp 5 billion ($530,000).

Dadet said he hoped that the project would get under way next year and be finished by 2012 or 2013.

Gunawan said Indonesia already had several geostationary satellites in orbit, called Palapa, which were mainly used for telecommunications purposes.