Palapa-D
| Mission type | Communication |
|---|---|
| Operator |
Indosat Global Mediacom |
| COSPAR ID | 2009-046A |
| SATCAT no. | 35812 |
| Mission duration | 15 years (planned) 10.5 years (expected) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Spacebus-4000B3 |
| Manufacturer | Thales Alenia Space |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 31 August 2009, 09:28 UTC |
| Rocket | Chang Zheng 3B/E |
| Launch site | Xichang LA-2 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 113° East |
| Perigee | 35,783 kilometres (22,235 mi) |
| Apogee | 35,803 kilometres (22,247 mi) |
| Inclination | 0.03 degrees |
| Period | 1436.13 minutes |
| Epoch | 23 January 2015, 13:40:35 UTC |
Palapa-D, also known as Palapa D1, is an Indonesian geostationary communications satellite which is operated by Indosat and MNC Media. It was built by Thales Alenia Space, based on the Spacebus-4000B3 satellite bus, and carries thirty five G/H band and five J band transponders (US IEEE C and Ku bands respectively). It is positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 113° East, where it will replace the Palapa C2 satellite.
Indosat ordered Palapa-D from Thales Alenia Space in 2007. The satellite was built without using American components, and was therefore not restricted by US International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which allowed the China Great Wall Industry Corporation to be selected as a launch service provider.
A Long March 3B rocket, flying from Launch Area 2 at the Xichang 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, which was subsequently corrected using the spacecraft's onboard propulsion system.
After launch, Palapa-D was to have separated from its carrier rocket into a geosynchronous transfer orbit, however one of its two identical upper-stage engines failed to deliver the necessary thrust, resulting in it reaching a lower orbit than planned. The 400 newton apogee motor of the satellite was subsequently used, in a non-nominally mode to raise it into geostationary orbit.
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