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by The Federal Democratic Republic of Ikheria. . 8 reads.

The Ikherian National Communication Satellite Programme; the Ikheriasat (WIP) (General RP)

The Ikheriasat is a series of geostationary communication satellites operated by INTTC under Ministry of Telecommunication and Press and Ikheria Space Exploration Agency mandate, explicitly worded in the Federal Telecommunication Act for national and international communication purposes and replacing Ekran and Gorizont satellites, then used in 1990s after break-up of the former Soviet Union.

The program was established in January 1993, when IPTS (Ikherian Post and Telecom Service, the predecessor of INTTC) was given mandate to commission a new satellite service called as Ikheriasat, using Ikherian-controlled orbital location in 52.5°E. 2 month later (March 1993), IPTS was selecting Aerospatiale (now Thales Alenia Space) for building 2 Ikheriasat-1 (Ikheriasat-1A and Ikheriasat-1B) satellite under multi-million dollar special contract. The satellites are build and assemblied in Ikheria, together with newly established federal company for this purpose, Ikheria Satellite Manufacture and Service Company. As part of this program, Ikherian technicians and engineers was trained to building and assembling satellite and its components. The first satellite, Ikheriasat-1A, was launched in late 1996 by an Ariane-44L. Ikheriasat-1B follow Ikheriasat-1A in early 1997 with same launcher.

The Ikheriasat-1A and Ikheriasat-1B are based on ISB/P-1075A, a version of Spacebus-3000A platform, with each satellite contain payload of 14 Ku-band and 6 C-band transponder, and a L-band and VHF communication payload, covering most of EMEA and entire Western and Central Asia, as well some of East Asia, with total power available at minimum 10 kilowatt EOL (End of Life). L-band and VHF payload provide mobile communication service, compatible with ACeS and Inmarsat (especially Inmarsat-B and Inmarsat-M), but with more features. Since the launch of the satellite, Ikheriasat service allow INTTC expand its services to countries in most of EMEA and Asia.


In March 2004, INTTC announced that they needed state-of-the-art satellites for replace aging Ikheriasat-1A and Ikheriasat-1B satellite and at same time, coping with high user demands, most coming from HD television broadcasting and data services. In April of same year, international bid competition for building 4 satellites for INTTC is officially started and ended three and half month later with EADS Astrium (now Airbus Defence and Space) and Alcatel Alenia Space (now Thales Alenia Space), as well NPO PM (now ISS Reshetnev) winning the bid. Eventually, INTTC split 4 satellite orders into two generations, each with two satellites and new consortium for this purpose is established by the bid winners and ISMSC, with EADS Astrium acting as the consortium leader. The first one, designated as Ikheriasat-2, was handled by ISS Reshetnev-Alcatel Alenia Space. The second one, designated as Ikheriasat-3, is handled by EADS Astrium.

The Ikheriasat-2 consisting of 2 satellites, Ikheriasat-2A and Ikheriasat-2B. The satellite was based on ISB/P-1150B, a version of ISS Reshetnev Ekspress-2000, with the payload provided by Alcatel Alenia Space (prime provider) and EADS Astrium, and MDA. The satellite each contain 18 Ku-band transponder, 6 C-band transponder, and for first time, 4 Ka-band transponder, all of them with limited switching capabilities, as well L-band and VHF communication payload, with total power available at minimum of 13.95 kilowatt EOL. The satellite was launched together on dual-launch Ariane 5 ECA in late 2010, dedicated entirely for the satellites, with Ikheriasat-2A on upper berth of SYLDA and Ikheriasat-2B on lower berth of SYLDA.

The Ikheriasat-3 also consisting of 2 satellites, Ikheriasat-3A and Ikheriasat-3B. Unlike Ikheriasat-2, the satellite was based on ISB/P-1750, developed from EADS Astrium's Eurostar-3000 platform. Each satellite carrying 24 Ku-band transponder, 16 C-band transponder, 8 Ka-band transponder, and mobile communication payload, designed with advanced digital processor and switching/routing capability and designed with advanced, state-of-the-art High-Throughput Satellite capabilities, with 75 spotbeams in Ka-band. Each satellite can generate power up to 15.95 kilowatt EOL. Ikheriasat-3A was launched in April 2016, using dual-launch Ariane 5 ECA, shared with other satellites. Ikheriasat-3B was launched 6 month later (September 2016), also on dual-launch Ariane 5 ECA.

In late 2012, INTTC was ordering new satellite for Mobile-Satellite Services and, the satellite, now called as Ikheriasat-3C (formerly known as Ikheriasat-MS1 (Mobile Service)), was launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 in December 2019 and located on 55°E. The satellite, based on ISB/P-1000 (a Lockheed-Martin A2100 version), embarking an advanced, reconfigurable digital processor. The satellite operate in L-/S-band for communication with user terminals and C-/Ku-/Ka-band for communication with gateway. The payload was designed with switching/routing capability, allowing direct single-hop terminal-terminal and inter-gateway communication.

Currently, most of the user of Ikheriasat-3C are ACeS service subscribers that migrating from Garuda-1 (The migration happen after Garuda-1 was deorbited in 2016. ACeS is already using Ikheriasat and Inmarsat satellites since 2011, as this cross-access capability was included in a mutual cooperation agreement between three operators in 2006), Inmarsat (especially Inmarsat-M and Fleet users, as several legacy services, like Inmarsat-M, Inmarsat-D, and Fleet are switching satellite (in Indian Ocean Region, to Ikheriasat-3C), several months before deactivation of Inmarsat-3 satellites), INTTC mobile satellite service users, and several others.


In January 2022, INTTC and ISEA was awarding for first time, Boeing and for second time, Airbus, a €580.5 million contract for designing, building, and launching 2 satellites, Ikheriasat-3D/P4A and Ikheriasat-3E/P4B, with Ikheriasat-3D/P4A in 52.5 East and Ikheriasat-3E/P4B in 123 East, both as part of transitional satellite before the next generation satellite series, the Ikheriasat-4 are launched and as replacement for both Ikheriasat-1 satellites.

The Ikheriasat-3D/P4A are build by Airbus on Eurostar-Neo platform and Ikheriasat-3E/P4B by Boeing on BSS-702XHP, both including ISMSC as local partner and contractor. The ABIT (Assembling, Building, Integrating, and Testing) will be conducted in Ikheria, France, Germany, and the United States. Both satellites was designed with advanced capabilities, from switching and routing of the transponders to interference mitigation and smart control system, dynamic changing of amplifier power, and several more.

Ikheriasat-3D/P4A, designed as replacement for Ikheriasat-1 satellites, will carry 52 Ku-band and 36 C-band transponders, simultaneously replacing the venerable Ikheriasat-1 satellites and providing additional new capacity. For first time in Ikheriasat satellite series, the new satellite also carry 8 all-new, multi-mode SDR (Software Defined Radio) transceiver, developed by INTTC and ISEA, as well ESA, several ministries (Ministry of Telecommunication and Press, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Internal and Federal Affair, and Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology), companies, individuals and other organizations. The transceiver will designed with operating frequency from 100 MHz to 39.5 GHz, with each transceiver have maximum configurable bandwidth of 200 MHz. The satellite will be colocated with other operational satellites at 52.5 East.

Ikheriasat-3E/P4B, developed as multi-mission satellite, will boast high-power S-/L-band mobile communication payload, 16 Ku-band, and 24 C-band transponder. The Ku-band and C-band transponders will be used to expand INTTC service in Asia-Pacific markets. The S-/L-band mobile communication payload will allow INTTC and ACeS to provide better service and fill coverage gaps since the Garuda-1 satellite deorbited in 2016. PT. INTTC Telenusa -the Indonesian subsidiary which represent INTTC in Asia-Pacific- and several INTTC partners in ASEAN and neighboring countries, from PSN, IOH, Telkom Indonesia (Indonesia), MEASAT (Malaysia), Thaicom (Thailand), and Telestra (Australia), will control and manage the satellite, located in 123 East, from Jatiluhur and Jakarta Earth Station. They also receive the rights to market the Ku- and C-band capacity, although for the S-/L-band mobile communication payload, they will be reserved to INTTC, PT. PSN/ACeS, Telkom Indonesia, and Inmarsat.

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