Palapa A1, A2

Part of the Palapa program

Palapa A1 and A2 were the initial elements of Indonesia's domestic communications satellite system. The spacecraft were identical to Canada's Anik and Western Union's Westars except for a modified parabolic reflector, enlarged to give maximum illumination of the Indonesian landmass. Operational lives for Palapa A1 and A2 ended June 1985 and January 1988, respectively.

Spacecraft
Based on Hughes HS-333 design. 1.5 m diameter parabolic reflector with 12 transponders working through 125 Earth stations. Spin stabilized with despun antenna and feeds.

Payload
Both satellites carried 12 transponders that provided 4000 voice circuits or 12 simultaneous TV channels to the country's 6000+ inhabited islands.

Country of Origin	Indonesia
Customer/User	Perumtel
Manufacturer(s)	Hughes
Size	3.7 m high, 1.9 m diameter
Orbit	GEO at 83 deg E and 77 deg E
Design Life	7 years

Launch Facts

Name	Int'l Desig.	Date	Site	Vehicle	Orbit	Mass(kg)
Notes
Palapa A1	1976-066A	7/8/76	ESMC	Delta 2914	GEO	300
Palapa A2	1977-018A	3/10/77	ESMC	Delta 2914	GEO	574