Formerly named Telkomsat HTS 113BT and built by Thales Alenia Space and PT Telkom Satelit Indonesia, Merah Putih-2 telecommunications satellite was successfully launched atop a SpaceX Falcon9 vehicle from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Designed to strengthen connectivity infrastructure throughout Indonesia, Merah Putih-2 aims to enhance digital businesses by offering superior quality of service to the Indonesian society. Based on Thales Alenia Space's historical Spacebus 4000B2 platform, Merah Putih-2, named after Indonesia’s flag colors, will contribute to bridging the digital divide across the archipelago by providing a capacity exceeding 32 gigabit per second.
The contract to build the High Throughput Satellite was signed in 2021 between Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), and the leading satellite service provider in Indonesia, PT Telkom Satelit Indonesia (Telkomsat) as subsidiary of PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (Telkom) a state-owned digital telecommunication company.
