| Mission type | Communication |
|---|---|
| Operator | Indosat Ooredoo |
| COSPAR ID | 2009-046A |
| SATCATno. | 35812 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Spacebus |
| Bus | Spacebus-4000B3 |
| Manufacturer | Thales Alenia Space[1] |
| Launch mass | 4,100 kg (9,000 lb) |
| Power | 6kW |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 31 August 2009, 09:28UTC |
| Rocket | Long March 3B / E |
| Launch site | Xichang,LA-2 |
| Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) |
| Entered service | November 2009 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Graveyard orbit |
| Deactivated | 31 August 2020 (officially) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[2] |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Longitude | 113° East |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 40transponders: 35C-band 5Ku-band |
| Coverage area | Parts ofEurope,Asia,Middle East,Saudi Arabia,United Arab Emirates,Iran,Central Asia,South Asia,India,Southeast Asia,Thailand,Indonesia,East Asia,China,Korea,Japan,Mongolia,Oceania,Australia,New Zealand |
Palapa-D was an Indonesian geostationarycommunications satellite which was operated byIndosat Ooredoo. It was built byThales Alenia Space, based on theSpacebus-4000B3satellite bus, and carries 35C-band and 5Ku-band transponders. It was positioned ingeostationary orbit at alongitude of 113° East, where it replaced thePalapa-C2 satellite.[3]
Indosat ordered Palapa-D from Thales Alenia Space on 2 July 2007.[4] The satellite was built without usingAmerican components, and was therefore not restricted by U.S.International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR),[5] which allowed theChina Great Wall Industry Corporation to be selected as alaunch service provider.[6]
ALong March 3B launch vehicle, flying fromLaunch Area-2 at theXichang Satellite Launch Centre was used to launch Palapa-D. A problem with the third stage of its carrier rocket left it in an incorrect orbit,[7] which was subsequently corrected using the spacecraft's onboard propulsion system.
After launch, Palapa-D was to have separated from its launch vehicle into ageosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), however one of its two identical upper-stage engines failed to deliver the necessary thrust,[8][9] resulting in it reaching a lower orbit than planned. TheS400apogee motor of the satellite was subsequently used in for raise it into geostationary orbit.[10]
On 3 September 2009, the satellite's orbit was adjusted, placing it into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).[11] It reachedgeostationary orbit on 9 September 2009.[10] It underwent on-orbit testing, and arrived at its orbital slot of 113° East in mid-September 2009. After completing its testing, it is now being used to provide communications toAsia andAustralia.
Palapa-D was built with a design life of fifteen years, but due to the expenditure of fuel during maneuvers to correct its orbit, it was expected to have enough fuel for about ten years of operations, according toReynald Seznec, President of Thales Alenia Space.[12][13]
Thales Alenia Space announced that the Palapa-D communications satellite is now positioned at its final location (113° East) and fully ready for operations for more than 10.5 years.[14]
On 31 August 2020, Palapa-D was officially declared inadequate for operation after it was close to running out of fuel for stationkeeping and all of its transponder services were officially moved toTelkom-4 (Merah Putih) andBRIsat satellites for broadcasting and data services respectively.
Palapa-D was planned to be replaced by theNusantara Dua (Palapa-N1) satellite; the launch of Nusantara Dua on 9 April 2020 by ChineseLong March 3B/E launch vehicle was a failure, resulting in the loss of the satellite. A replacement satellite (Nusantara-2R or Palapa-N1R) to be built by the same manufacturer (China Academy of Space Technology/CAST) is being considered, albeit with possibly different specifications with the lost one. However, on 28 October 2021,Telkomsat awarded the replacement satellite (working designation HTS-113BT) contract toThales Alenia Space instead of CAST using theSpacebus-4000B2 platform, with planned launch for 2024. The HTS-113BT is expected to have similar specifications to the lost one.[15]
