Palapa 1

Description

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 Wasters except for a modified parabolic reflector, enlarged to give maximum illumination of the Indonesian land mass. Operational lives for Palapa A1 and A2 ended June 1985 and January 1988, respectively. The spacecraft were based on the Hughes HS-333 design. 1.5 m diameter parabolic reflector with 12 transponders worked through 125 Earth stations. They were spin stabilized with despun antenna and feeds. Both satellites provided 4000 voice circuits or 12 simultaneous TV channels to the countrys 6000+ inhabited islands.