Indonesia: Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional (LAPAN), Indonesian Aeronautics and Space Agency, is planning to put its own satellite in orbit this year, according to the LAPAN’s spokesperson. Dr Rika Andiarti, Head of LAPAN`s applied technology centre, said, “Right now we are still making preparations for the launching of the satellite, Nano. The satellite will weigh less than 10 kilograms.”
She said that the satellite would be used to monitor temperatures in the atmosphere or air humidity as well as for collecting other small data. “In the future, we hope, we will be able to launch a bigger satellite for telecommunication and other purposes. In the next five years we must be able to produce a rocket to launch a bigger satellite so that Indonesia will no longer ask for help from other countries to launch a satellite” she said.
Prof Dr Djamasri, Vice dean of state Gajahmada University`s Technical Faculty, said, “Now Indonesia still has to ask for help from other countries to put a satellite in orbit and this is risky because other countries could illicitly use the rocket and satellite also for their own interests. If we can create a rocket able to cover a distance of 3,000 to 5,000 kilometres, our defence system will be stronger and other countries can then not treat us lightly.”
Source: ANTARA News
