First Indonesian-built satellite working well

The first Indonesian-built video surveillance satellite has successfully entered orbit and sent signal that it was working well, a local media report said on January 11. Weighing some 57 kg, the micro-satellite carries a high resolution colour video camera with a swath or coverage of 3.5 kilometers wide and a low resolution color video camera with a swath of 81 kilometers. The cameras have a resolution of five meters and 200 meters, respectively.

The satellite can be used for real-time monitoring of various conditions on Earth such as forest fires, volcanic activity and flooding. It will pass over Indonesia four times a day.

The satellite was launched on January 10 from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)'s Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C7 rocket.