INDONESIA: AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR PAPUA SPACE LAUNCH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001008 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECPS PARM PREL EINV ID RS SUBJECT: INDONESIA: AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR PAPUA SPACE LAUNCH FACILITY JAKARTA 00001008 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Government of Indonesia (GOI) officials confirmed to us during a March 13 meeting that plans for a joint Indonesian-Russian satellite launch facility in Papua are well underway. The Governments of Indonesia and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in December 2006, to formalize the partnership. Since then, the partners have made modest progress toward developing a facility on isolated Biak Island off the northeast coast of Papua province. A Russian aerospace company is slated to provide much of the equipment and technical expertise. The Biak facility plans to capitalize on its equatorial position and the proposed use of "air launch" satellite delivery technology to make it highly cost competitive, according to GOI sources. GOI space officials say they will abide by the Missile Technology Control Regime even though Indonesia is not a signatory to the treaty. Despite its commercial potential, the project faces considerable technological and operating challenges as well as potential resistance from the local populace. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) In December 2005, on the margins of the ASEAN Business Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to develop a satellite and commercial rocket launch facility in Biak, Papua. This was followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two presidents during President Yudhoyono's visit to Russia in December 2006. Biak's Strategic Location Could Lower Costs -------------- ¶3. (U) The two governments chose the island of Biak as a potential launch facility because of its strategic location. Located in the northeastern corner of Indonesia in Papua province, Biak's location at 1 degree 11 minutes south latitude means that launch vehicles should be able to use less fuel, and carry more cargo, because of the maximized velocity of the Earth's rotation (460 meters per second) near the equator. This cost advantage would be especially true for satellites going into geostationary or equatorial orbits. In addition, Biak has nothing but the Pacific Ocean for hundreds of miles to the east and north of the island. If an accident occurred during a launch, the launch vehicle (and any debris) would simply fall into the water. Finally, the island has some infrastructure already in place, such as an airport with an adequate runway and a rocket/satellite tracking facility. ¶4. (U) A Russian company, Air Launch Aerospace Corporation (ALAC) agreed to partner with the Indonesian company PT Air Launch Aerospace Indonesia (ALAI). The proposed method for launch will be the untried, but potentially economical "air launch" process. ALAC plans to use a 120-ton Polyot rocket combined with an Antonov An-124-100AL "Condor" heavy cargo transport, a large commercial airplane rivaling Lockheed's C-5 "Galaxy" in size. The An-124-100AL requires a runway of at least 3,000 meters and the military airport on Biak has a runway that is just over that requirement at 3,570 meters. The plan is for the Antonov launch airplane to take off from Biak heading to a point north of the island closer to the equator. At an altitude of 11,000 feet it would then drop the rocket out of its back loading door. Seconds later, the rocket's parachute would open to orient it to the vertical launch position and the rocket engines would fire, sending the satellite through the upper atmosphere and into orbit. ¶5. (U) Although complex, similar launch operations have been successful in the United States. Orbital's "Pegasus" air launch program has already placed dozens of satellites into orbit and claims a flawless record since 1996. The key difference between the two systems is that for Pegasus, the launch vehicle is attached to the bottom of the aircraft and simply dropped at launch, while ALAC's system would have the rocket placed inside the aircraft before its launch. ALAC has claimed success with testing their launch vehicles, but to date, has placed no satellites into orbit. Land Allocated; Infrastructure Growing -------------- JAKARTA 00001008 002.2 OF 003 ¶6. (U) According to press reports, preparations for the launch facility are already underway. The Biak Regency government has reportedly set aside 27 hectares of land for the project, and in February 2006, Anatoly Karpov, president of ALAC, told reporters that his company planned to invest $25 million for construction of the launch facilities. Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director of Central and East Europe Hazairin Pohan told the press in December 2005 that the project would cost between $120-130 million. Also, according to local press, construction is expected to begin this year with a mission-control facility and other supporting facilities. ¶7. (SBU) On March 13, we met with Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) Chairman Dr. Adi Sadewo Salatun. He stated that the Biak station already has a functioning telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C) facility available for this project and that the partnership is currently finishing a liquid oxygen (LOX)/kerosene fueling facility. He encouraged the U.S. to participate in Indonesia's space program and use Biak's available facilities. Russians Could Gain New Foothold in Launch Market -------------- -------------- ¶8. (U) The Indonesian weekly GATRA in its February 18, 2006 edition reported Karpov as saying that their air launch system would be four times cheaper than launching from sea and ten times cheaper than the standard land-launch systems in place. ALAC will specialize in smaller satellites of up to four tons, Karpov said. The Biak facility would be the third equatorial launch facility for Russian aerospace. RSC Energia is a partner in the Sea Launch program with Boeing and others. And, in partnership with France and the European Space Agency (ESA),Russia began construction of a Soyuz launch facility in Korou, French Guiana last year. The first Soyuz launch from this location is scheduled for the second half of 2008. Indonesia Seeking Aerospace Credibility -------------- ¶9. (U) For its part, Indonesia hopes developing a successful launch facility in Biak will enable it to showcase its ability to place small satellites into orbit at a relatively low cost. Indonesia and its neighboring countries continue to investigate satellite technology as a potential answer for their communications, environmental monitoring and weather-forecasting needs. In January, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched the first Indonesian-built satellite into orbit. LAPAN was able to negotiate use of the ISRO launcher thanks in part to the fact that ISRO already uses the facility in Biak to track its own satellites. In addition, other nations may see the low costs as an opportunity for launching from Indonesia. According to local press, LAPAN's Secretary General Wisjnu Permana Marsis stated that China, Japan and the United States had all shown interest in the project. However, Marsis said Russia gave the most competitive offer. ¶10. (U) Indonesia is not a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). In our meeting with LAPAN, Marsis told us that the GOI would "indirectly abide" by the MTCR regulations, since Russia is a signatory. Marsis did not give us any specifics on how the GOI will address this issue. ¶11. (SBU) Comment: For a company looking for a market niche in which to compete against other global corporations, Biak's favorable location coupled with the low-cost air launch method could present an opportunity for the Russian space industry to gain a foothold in the small and micro satellite market. However, the project faces several challenges to making it a reality. First, the project uses an untried launch system--no company has yet placed a satellite in orbit by carrying it inside and then dropping it out of the back of a large transport plane. Second, the GOI is highly dependent on their Russian partners and their technology. Should problems develop, Indonesia does not have the capacity to move the project forward alone. Finally, doing business in Papua comes with its own unique risks. Papua continues to JAKARTA 00001008 003.2 OF 003 grapple with corruption, land rights disputes, and a restive independence movement. All these issues have led the few foreign investors who have braved Papua to proceed with caution. HEFFERN