On September 8, 2023, SpaceX announced a rescheduling of the T-0 liftoff time for an exciting mission involving the launch of the Nusantara Lima satellite. This state-of-the-art satellite, constructed by Boeing, is set to enhance space-based communications services for Indonesia. The satellite, known as N5, is developed by Satelit Nusantara Lima (SNL), a subsidiary of Indonesia's pioneering private satellite company, Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN).
The Nusantara Lima satellite, or N5 for short, derives its name from the Old Javanese language, where "nūsa" means "island" and "antara" translates to "outer." The term "Lima" signifies "five" in Indonesian, denoting its position in the country's satellite lineup. SpaceX is now targeting the satellite's liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 9:32 p.m. EDT (01:32 UTC), which marks the start of a 116-minute launch window.
For those interested in following the mission, Spaceflight Now will provide live coverage beginning approximately one hour before the scheduled liftoff. As of Sunday, the 45th Weather Squadron reported a 30% chance of favorable weather conditions at the opening of the launch window, improving to 45% as the window progresses. Meteorologists predict a “high likelihood of showers and storms,” particularly during the overnight and morning hours.
Weather conditions in Florida are expected to remain intricate, with "deep atmospheric moisture" persisting into early next week. Launch weather officers noted that a weak boundary will oscillate across Central Florida before transitioning to a stronger incoming front mid-week. Additionally, troughing over the Great Lakes States extending southward into the Gulf contributes to a complicated weather pattern.
The N5 satellite will be launched using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, featuring a veteran first-stage booster designated as B1078. This launch marks the booster’s 23rd flight, showcasing its versatility across various missions, including NASA's Crew-6, USSF-124, and ASTSpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites. After propelling the rocket through the lower atmosphere, B1078 will aim for a landing on the drone ship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, situated in the Atlantic Ocean. A successful recovery would mark the 124th landing for this vessel and the 502nd booster landing overall for SpaceX.
The Nusantara Lima satellite is built on Boeing Space Systems’ 702MP VHTS (Very High Throughput Satellite) bus and is designed to deliver a remarkable capacity of 160 Gbps through its 101 Ka-band spot beams. With an operational lifespan exceeding 15 years, the satellite is anticipated to deploy from the Falcon 9’s upper stage more than 27 minutes post-liftoff. According to a Boeing spokesperson, signal acquisition is expected to occur approximately 15-30 minutes after separation, with N5 reaching its operational orbit at 113 degrees East over the Equator by mid-January 2026.
“Boeing’s satellite business has a rich history of serving Indonesia and the Asia Pacific region, dating back to the Palapa A1 satellite in 1976,” stated Ryan Reid, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International. “With Nusantara Lima, we’re proud to continue that legacy, delivering a reliable, high-throughput solution tailored to Indonesia’s unique geography and connectivity needs. PSN has been an outstanding partner throughout this program.”
Initially announced in 2022, the N5 satellite is designed to function as a relay station to enhance the capabilities of the Satria-1 satellite, which launched in June 2023. While N5 was originally slated for a 2023 launch, it faced delays. Spaceflight Now attempted to reach PSN for comments regarding these delays but did not receive a response prior to publication.
It is essential to note that the N5 satellite utilizes the same Boeing-built bus employed in Intelsat’s IS-33e spacecraft, which experienced a catastrophic anomaly on October 19, 2024, leading to its total loss. Launched in August 2016, IS-33e commenced service in January 2017, but the root cause of its failure remains undisclosed.
