astronomy

IndoStar-1

IndoStar-1 is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand IndoStar-1 rather than just read about it. In short: IndoStar-1, also known as Cakrawarta-1, was a communication satellite that was launched the evening of November 12, 1997 at 21:48 GMT aboard an Ariane 44L-3 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. As the first direct broadcasting satellite (DBS) in Asia, IndoStar-1 would initiate a new communication service for Indonesian society such as direct-to-home television.

Key takeaways

IndoStar-1 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IndoStar-1 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IndoStar-1 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

IndoStar-1, also known as Cakrawarta-1, was a communication satellite that was launched the evening of November 12, 1997 at 21:48 GMT aboard an Ariane 44L-3 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. As the first direct broadcasting satellite (DBS) in Asia, IndoStar-1 would initiate a new communication service for Indonesian society such as direct-to-home television.

Design The IndoStar-1 geostationary broadcast satellite (the first STAR-1 spacecraft bus) and the Turn-Key Indovision Direct To Home (DTH) program was developed by Thomas van der Heyden. The satellite was built by a team of engineers at the US company Defense Systems Inc. (DSI), which had up until the IndoStar program (later renamed Cakrawarta by the then president of Indonesia, Suharto), focused on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites for the US government, DARPA and NASA. Under the contract DSI together with its sister company International Technologies Inc. (ITI) constructed the Indostar-1 satellite program for on-orbit turn-key delivery for the Indonesian television broadcasting company PT Media Citra Indostar (MCI). The Turn-Key, End-to-End contract, which included; Launch, Tracking Telemetry & Control Station, Up-Link Station for 60 MPEG television channels, Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD) design, ITU regulatory filings, insurance, and spacecraft - was the first fully turn key contract in the commercial satellite industry. In 1995 DSI was sold to Computer Technology Associates (CTA) which was sold two years later to Orbital Sciences Corporation (later Orbital ATK, now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems) during the final stages of the Indostar-1 satellite integration in early 1997. The Indostar-1 satellite design was developed from scratch by Thomas van der Heyden and Dr. George Sebestyen founder of DSI, became the first GEO LightSat, their STAR Bus platform. The Cakrawarta satellite was successfully launched into the geostationary orbital slot located at 107.7 East Longitude above Indonesia by the Ariane 44L launch vehicle on November 12, 1997, co-manifested with the Sirius-2 satellite. IndoStar-1 was the world's first commercial communications satellite to use S-band frequencies for broadcast (pioneered by van der Heyden), which efficiently penetrate the atmosphere and provide high-quality transmissions to small-diameter 80 cm antennas in regions that experience heavy rainfall such as Indonesia. A similar Ku- or C-band reception performance requires greater transmission power or much larger dish to penetrate the moist atmosphere. Due to a failed power regulator, two of the satellite's five transponders could not be used at 100% output whenever the satellite was eclipsed by the Earth. During these periods, only 80 percent of the required power was available. The spacecraft, with a design life of seven years, operated successfully for 11 years, providing 60 channels of MPEG-2 digital satellite television to the 235 million people of Indonesia. On Saturday, May 16, 2009, Indovision launched the replacement for the Cakrawarta-1 (IndoStar-1) satellite, Indostar-2 (now SES-7) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. It became operational in July 2009 and IndoStar-1 was subsequently decommissioned.

Mission IndoStar-1 was managed and operated by PT Media Citra Indostar (MCI), providing a direct broadcast signal by high quality digital transmission. Operationally, IndoStar-1 satellite was used for commercial services by cable television companies to relay international and local programs throughout Indonesia. Indovision used this satellite before switching to IndoStar-2.

Description of IndoStar-1 Satellite Status: Satellite was launched via Ariane 44L-3 on November 12, 1997 Destination: Geosynchronous Orbit @ 107E Operator: PT MediaCitra Indostar [MCI], Jakarta Performance Launch mass: 1,350 kg Class: Communications Mission: Provide direct broadcast television to Indonesia (high quality digital transmission, approximately 50 television channels) Mission life: 7 years with fuel for 12 years Designed by: Thomas van der Heyden Manufacturer: Defense Systems Inc. (later Orbital ATK, now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IndoStar-1

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IndoStar-1 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IndoStar-1 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IndoStar-1 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IndoStar-1

In research: IndoStar-1 appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IndoStar-1 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IndoStar-1 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1997 in Indonesia, Communications in Indonesia, Communications satellites, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IndoStar-1 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study IndoStar-1 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IndoStar-1 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IndoStar-1 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IndoStar-1 in simple terms?

Why does IndoStar-1 matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IndoStar-1?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IndoStar-1.