Biak Spaceport

Solid Rocket Propulsion Technology from Asphalt Buton Indonesia

2011-01-18T03:09:00.000-08:00

Menurut sumber dari UGM yaitu bapak Hananto yang ditemui penulis pada event Indodefence 2008, saat ini Dislitbang TNI AL bekerjasama degan PT DATAREKA dan Fakultas Teknik Kimia UGM mengembangkan bahan pendorong roket dengan salah satu unsurnya adalah aspal dari pulau Buton.
Aspal dari pulau Buton ini tidaklah bisa disamakan dengan aspal yang biasa kita lihat sehari hari. Aspal pulau buton mempunyai sifat penetrasi nol dan tidak bisa digunakan langsung sebagai pengganti aspal biasa

Aspal buton bila dicampurkan ke aspal biasa akan menghasilkan aspal berkualitas tinggi. Aspal jenis ini hanya ditemukan dan ditambang di Amerika, Trinidad dan di pulau buton saja. Khusus untuk pulau buton cadangannya mencapai puluhan juta ton. Setelah mengembangkan semenjak 2007 , saat ini Penelitian sudah dalam tahap penelitian untuk mengganti propelan roket exocet dan strella.

Pada tahun 2008 , pihak UGM sudah menerima sampel dari propelan Exocet dan strella , walaupun dalam beberapa parameter pengujian propelan berbahan aspal buton lebih bagus, tapi saat ini belum bisa diperoleh campuran yang paling pas sehingga bisa menggantikan propelan lama dari exocet/strella.

Salah satu masalah yang mengemuka adalah tekanan yang masih terlalu besar, selongsong roket strella hanya mampu menahan tekanan sampai 300 bar sedangkan roket UGM masih bertekanan diatas itu sehingga ada kemungkinan selongsong roket akan pecah. Semoga kedepan Pihak peneliti mampu menjinakan keganasan propelannya dan propelan exocet dan strella mampu digantikan.

Pesawat Tanpa Awak Kecepatan Tinggi Sistem Pemantauan Pulau Nusantara

2010-12-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

Memiliki belasan ribu pulau yang tersebar luas dan kerap kali tertutup awan, tidak mudah bagi Indonesia memantau kondisi sumber daya alamnya secara menyeluruh sepanjang tahun. Penginderaan jauh sistem radar dapat mengatasi kendala itu. Namun, sistem tersebut telah berkembang jauh.

Sistem observasi jarak jauh ini telah dikembangkan lebih lanjut dan diterapkan dengan menggunakan pesawat tanpa awak dan satelit kecil.

Observasi permukaan bumi dalam segala cuaca ini memerlukan keandalan sistem, baik pada sensor maupun wahana yang menjadi tumpangannya. Untuk sistem pemantauan yang berfungsi sebagai ”mata”, penggunaan Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) di Indonesia terbukti dapat berfungsi baik untuk memetakan wilayah yang tertutup awan.

Sensor ini bukan hanya digunakan di wilayah Nusantara yang sebagian besar wilayahnya selalu tertutup awan. Dan, karena bekerja sama dengan gelombang radio, sensor ini dapat dioperasikan pada malam hari sehingga 24 jam dapat digunakan untuk mengamati permukaan bumi dan informasi lapisan bumi di dalamnya.

Apabila sensor optik seperti kamera hanya mengetahui informasi permukaan bumi saja, sensor SAR dapat digunakan untuk mendapatkan informasi-informasi di kedalaman sampai beberapa meter dari permukaan bumi, tergantung dari kondisi permukaan dan gelombang mikro yang digunakan oleh sensor ini.

Sistem SAR ini dikembangkan lebih lanjut oleh Josaphat Tetuko Sri Sumantyo dari Center for Environmental Remote Sensing, Universitas Chiba, Jepang. Sensor baru ini disebut Circularly Polarized Synthetic Aperture Radar (CP-SAR).

Beberapa kelebihan dapat dicapai pada CP-SAR dibandingkan sensor radar konvensional. ”Dengan sistem SAR yang lama digunakan beberapa antena. Untuk menyimpan citra diperlukan dua memori dan unit penyuplai daya berukuran besar. Sedangkan sistem baru hanya menggunakan daya lebih kecil sehingga sistem tersebut lebih kecil dan ringan,” kata Josaphat.

Ringannya alat tersebut dicapai CP-SAR yang hanya menggunakan satu antena. Dengan pengembangan sistem sensor yang baru tersebut, aplikasinya untuk kegiatan search and rescue (SAR) dapat lebih cepat untuk menampilkan citra hasil penginderaan jauh.

Dengan CP-SAR dapat dilakukan sistem pantulan gelombang melingkar. Datanya dapat langsung diklasifikasi oleh stasiun penerima citra. Pada sistem SAR lama, analisis citra satelit memakan waktu beberapa hari.

Sistem ini dikembangkan Josaphat sejak 2005. Peneliti yang pernah bergabung di Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi (BPPT) ini juga mengembangkan aplikasi SAR pada satelit dan pesawat tanpa awak. Uji coba sensor pada simulasi pesawat tanpa awak telah dilakukan di Jepang pada 2008.

Josaphat berharap, pengujian sensor CP-SAR dengan wahana satelit dapat dilakukan pada 2014 sejalan dengan program Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional (Lapan) yang menargetkan peluncuran roket pengorbit satelit empat tahun mendatang.

Untuk aplikasinya pada wahana satelit dan pesawat tanpa awak, Josaphat bekerja sama dengan peneliti dari Lapan. Uji coba SAR yang baru ini dengan menggunakan pesawat tanpa awak akan dilakukan Desember mendatang di stasiun peluncuran roket di Pamengpeuk, Garut, Jawa Barat, dan Bandara Margahayu, Bandung.

Sementara itu, uji coba di Jepang akan dilakukan di Shikabe Hokkaido dan Pulau Iwojima.

Pesawat tanpa awak

Pemantauan permukaan bumi dari udara untuk berbagai keperluan telah lama dilakukan dengan menggunakan pesawat terbang dan satelit. Selain itu, dikembangkan pula pesawat terbang tanpa awak (PTTA).

Wahana tak berpilot ini dari beberapa aspek memiliki kelebihan dibandingkan dua sarana tersebut. Untuk kegiatan survei udara, PTTA biaya produksinya lebih rendah. Wahana nir-awak ini mampu menjelajah medan berbahaya yang tidak mungkin dilakukan pesawat biasa, seperti terbang rendah untuk pemantauan wilayah kebakaran hutan dan wilayah perbatasan.

Saat ini telah ada empat prototipe PTTA, termasuk model unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV-530). Tiga prototipe lainnya dibuat oleh ITB, Robo Aero Indonesia, dan UAVindo.

Pembuatan UAV-530 sendiri merupakan program riset khusus bidang teknologi pertahanan di bawah koordinasi Kementerian Riset dan Teknologi yang melibatkan instansi pemerintah dan swasta nasional, di antaranya Lapan, BPPT, Balitbang TNI AU, dan Balitbang Kementerian Pertahanan. Untuk komponennya, rancang bangun, dan rekayasanya didukung PT Pindad, PT LEN Industri, PT Dirgantara Indonesia, dan ITB. Program ini dimulai Maret 2007 dan berakhir tahun ini.

Pesawat UAV-530 memiliki beberapa kelebihan, yaitu struktur sayap dapat dilipat sehingga mampu menjelajah wilayah yang sulit ditempuh pesawat kecil. ”Untuk pemantauan yang memerlukan terbang lambat, sayap itu direntangkan dengan sistem kendali jarak jauh,” kata Hari Purwanto, Staf Ahli Menristek Bidang Hankam.

Pesawat tersebut dikendalikan melalui sistem komunikasi yang ditempatkan di darat atau remotely piloted vehicle (RPV). Pada UAV-520 ada dua sistem komunikasi, yaitu sistem kendali dan kamera yang secara real time menampilkan citra di layar monitor di darat.

Sebelum mencapai tahap UAV-530, hingga Desember 2007 telah disiapkan tiga prototipe berkecepatan rendah dan berkecepatan tinggi. Prototipe berkecepatan rendah hingga 180 km per jam. Wahana tanpa awak ini mampu melayang di atas ketinggian sekitar 1 km dan radius operasional 15 km.

Prototipe kedua memiliki kecepatan 380 km per jam dengan kemampuan jelajah di atas ketinggian 1 km. Dua prototipe PTTA ini menggunakan minyak tanah. Namun, UAV-530 menggunakan avtur seperti pesawat terbang umumnya.

Mahasiswa Akan Berkompetisi Bangun Muatan Roket

2010-06-23T01:37:00.000-07:00

Sebanyak 40 tim dari 38 perguruan tinggi di Indonesia akan mengikuti Kompetisi Roket Indonesia (Korindo) 2010. Korindo akan berlangsung pada 26-28 Juni 2010 di Pantai Padansimo, Srandakan, Bantul, Yogyakarta.

Hal tersebut disampaikan oleh tim juri Korindo, Endra Pituwarno saat konferensi pers mengenai kegiatan ini di Gerai Informasi Gedung C Kementerian Pendidikan Nasional, Jakarta , Selasa (22/6). Selain Endra, pembicara dalam konferensi pers tersebut yaitu Deputi Bidang Teknologi Dirgantara Lapan, Soewarto Hardhienata, dan Direktur Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi Kementerian Pendidikan Nasional (Kemendiknas), Suryo Hapsoro Tri Utomo.

Menurut Suryo, Korindo bertujuan untuk menggairahkan kembali kecintaan masyarakat terhadap teknologi kedirgantaraan. Ia menjelaskan, kegiatan ini terlaksana atas kerja sama Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi Kemendiknas, Lapan, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Pemerintah Kabupaten Bantul, dan Akademi Angkatan Udara.

Sementara itu, Soewarto menjelaskan bahwakompetisi ini memiliki misi untuk membangun atau menumbuhkan kecintaan generasi muda terhadap ilmu pengetahuan kedirgantaraan. “Selain itu, kegiatan ini juga terkait dengan Hari Kebangkitan Teknologi Nasional (Hakteknas),” ia berkata.

Kompetisi ini akan menggali kemampuan mahasiswa dalam membuat payload (muatan) roket. ”Muatan tersebut nantinya akan menjadi cikal bakal nano satelit buatan Indonesia,” kata Endro.

“Terdapat dampak positif setelah dua kali pelaksanaan kompetisi ini pada 2008 dan 2009,” kata Soewarto. Ia menjelaskan, dampak tersebut yaitu semakin dikenalnya ilmu pengetahuan dirgantara di masyarakat dan semakin tingginya antusiasme perguruan tinggi terhadap kompetisi ini.

Endro memaparkan, peserta Korindo tahun ini semakin banyak. “Tahun ini pendaftarnya hingga 53 tim, padahal kuota peserta lomba hanya 40 tim. Maka itu, dipilih 40 tim terbaik melalui tahap seleksi proposal dan laporan. Tim-tim tersebut akan mengikuti Korindo pada 26-28 Juni,” ujar Endro.

Antusiasme terhadap kompetisi ini tidak hanya datang dari dalam negeri, melainkan juga dari luar negeri. Soewarto mengatakan, ada negara lain yang tertarik untuk mengikuti lomba ini. Selain itu, Korindo 2010 ini akan disaksikan oleh observer (pengamat) dari Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum ( APRSAF).

Korindo 2010 bertema Homing Meteo Payload, yakni kompetisi untuk menghasilkan rancang bangun payload (muatan roket). Payload harus mampu kembali atau menuju sasaran yang telah ditentukan, setelah terpisah dari roket peluncur.
“Kompetisi ini cukup sulit karena komponen payload harus tahan terhadap guncangan yang dihasilkan roket,” kata Soewarto. Meskipun sulit, ia percaya mahasiswa mampu berkompetisi dengan baik. “Kemampuan anak muda Indonesia tidak kalah dari di luar negeri,” ia menegaskan.

Successful Design Review and Engine Test Bring Boeing X-51A Closer to Flight

2010-05-27T09:36:00.001-07:00

The Boeing [NYSE: BA] X-51A WaveRider Scramjet Engine Demonstrator recently completed a Critical Design Review (CDR) and fired its engine for the first time -- two major program milestones necessary for first flight.

The X-51A program, managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory Propulsion Directorate, is a consortium of the U.S. Air Force, DARPA, NASA, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne to demonstrate hypersonic flight capability.

Held last week in West Palm Beach, Fla., the CDR allowed government and industry officials to review and validate the vehicle's design, assembly, integration and flight test plan. The review is a critical part of the program where specifications are verified to indicate that the vehicle's design has matured to its requirements. Procurements, manufacturing and assembly processes also are established.

During the successful firing of the Pratt & Whitney X-1 demonstrator engine, test engineers used a Full Authority Digital Engine Controller to simulate flight conditions at Mach 5 air speed. Test of the hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet engine also demonstrated a closed-loop thermal management system that cools engine hardware and regulates fuel for the engine's combustor. The X-1 is the first of two ground test engines proposed for the program.

The successful completion of the CDR and X-1 ground demonstration indicates that the X-51A program is on track to proceed with its first flight tests in 2009.

"The CDR and engine test are key validation points for the X-51A program," said George Muellner, president of Boeing Advanced Systems. "The X-51A is a remarkable system that will answer many questions necessary for the development of future hypersonic propulsion vehicles that can be used for delivering payloads to space as well as for atmospheric flight applications."

"These successes are critical for the development of the X-51A," said Charlie Brink, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory X-51A program manager. "It also marks the first time that a scramjet engine was tested in its simulated 'full flight' propulsion configuration -- the Boeing-designed full vehicle fore-body inlet and nozzle."

The X-51A ground test program is being conducted at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., and includes four planned test flights.

Future tests will verify engine performance and operability across the X-51A flight envelope and further characterize the closed-loop thermal management system.

Next, the X-51A team will develop a pre-first flight risk assessment that includes finalizing schedules and addressing remaining procurements, manufacturing, assembly and flight test planning.

When completed and flown, the X-51A will demonstrate scaleable scramjet engine propulsion technology, high temperature materials, airframe/engine integration and other key technologies within the hypersonic Mach 4.5 to 6.5 range. The X-51A will set the foundation for several hypersonic applications including access to space.

Work for the Boeing X-51A WaveRider is being performed by Boeing Advanced Network and Space Systems in Huntington Beach, Calif.

Mozambik Minat Kerjasama Dengan Lembaga Antariksa LAPAN

2010-04-12T00:37:00.000-07:00

Dunia internasional memandang serius terhadap keberadaan Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional (Lapan), buktinya berbagai tawaran kerja sama di bidang kedirgantaraan baik dari negara maju dan berkembang berdatangan tahun ini.

Mozambik, melalui duta besarnya Carlos Agostinho Do Rosario, Rabu (7/4) mengunjungi kantor pusat Lapan di Jakarta, juga untuk menjajaki kerja sama dalam bidang kedirgantaraan.

Dalam kunjungannya, Carlos Agostinho menyampaikan bahwa Mozambik ingin mempelajari organisasi lembaga antariksa dan kemandirian Indonesia dalam bidang kedirgantaraan akan dicontoh oleh negara di benua Afrika itu.

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Italy’s Answer to the Race for Space

2010-03-05T06:46:00.000-08:00

Hypersonic space planes may someday fly into space from airport runways, but an Italian aerospace firm first wants to test whether such futuristic vehicles could still pull off high-speed maneuvers during the fiery re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

The Italian Center for Aerospace Research (CIRA) in Capua, Italy has prepped a new unmanned prototype space plane called Pollux for a possible flight in March. Pollux would perform several test maneuvers while reaching a top re-entry speed of Mach 1.2.

“We want to fly while re-entering, and we want to reduce the logical gap between aeronautics and space,” said Gennaro Russo, CIRA’s Space Programs lead and USV (Unmanned Space Vehicles) program manager.

A less-advanced twin to Pollux, the engineless prototype space vehicle named Castor, successfully flew at transonic speeds between altitudes of about 10 and 6.2 miles, and reached a top speed of Mach 1.08, or just above the speed of sound.

Pollux is designed to reach its drop height of about 15 miles courtesy of a stratospheric balloon. Upon release, the space vehicle is expected to carry out pre-programmed aeronautic maneuvers where it pulls its nose up, conducts an angle of attack maneuver, a two-bank turn maneuver, and then finish with another nose-up maneuver before opening its parachute at a height of just over 3 miles.

All those twists and turns would allow the 500 experimental sensors aboard Pollux to record the acceleration, aerodynamic pressures, and strain throughout. That information will go a long way toward helping researchers figure out what maneuvers a hypersonic vehicle could pull off as it comes in for landing from space, researchers said.

“Being able to handle the flight and not simply the drop along a re-entry trajectory, you will be able to select the landing spaceport regardless of the weather conditions during the re-entry,” Russo told SPACE.com.

Like its twin Castor, Pollux is a 30-foot-long flying test vehicle with a wingspan of 13 feet, and a weight of 2,910 pounds. But Pollux has more advanced control systems that allow the unmanned space vehicle to autonomously make its own last-minute tweaks for flight patterns.

Pollux also has a single-stage parachute, rather than the three-stage parachute used by Castor in 2007. Castor’s three-stage parachute did not slow it down enough to avoid some damage upon landing two years ago, but Pollux’s handlers seem confident that they can better control the newer prototype and slow it down enough to require just the single-stage parachute.

Two experiments are also slated to ride piggy-back aboard Pollux.

The first is a systems-on-a-chip designed by the company Strago Ricerche, which will help gauge accelerations for the flight. The second is a physics experiment by second grade schools of Italy’s Apulia region that will survey atmospheric opacity due to aerosols.

The flights of Castor and Pollux may also help inform other ongoing efforts to develop space planes. The British company Reaction Engines Limited received initial funding last year from the European Space Agency and British government to begin developing its Skylon space plane concept.

The U.S. Air Force has its own secretive space plane set for launch later this year.

Russo and CIRA have already begun planning beyond their twin space vehicle prototypes. A hypersonic version that could reach Mach 7 or 8 is on the drawing boards due to collaboration with the University of Queensland and Australia’s Department of Defense.

Rusia Ingin Bisa Luncurkan Satelit di Biak

2010-02-25T02:41:00.000-08:00

Rusia yang ingin menempatkan satelit di atas Biak, Provinsi Papua, meminta dukungan Wakil Presiden Boediono agar rencananya itu terlaksana segera, sebagai wujud persahabatan dengan Indonesia khususnya di bidang teknologi.

"Rusia minta kepada Wapres untuk ikut mendukung dan mempercepat penempatan satelit di Biak itu, dan Wapres menyatakan ingin membantu serta mendorong penyelesaian berbagai hambatan," kata Juru Bicara Wapres Yopie Hidayat kepada pers di Istana Wapres Jakarta, Kamis (25/2).

Usai mendampingi Wapres bertu dengan Duta Besar Rusia untuk Indonesia Alexander Ivanov, Yopoe menyebutkan, Rusia masih sangat berminat membangun dan mengembangkan teknologi satelit di Indonesia, khususnya Biak.

Pengembangan satelit Rusia di Indonesia, katanya, selama ini menghadapi kendala khususnya perlindungan hak cipta teknologi.

"Rusia menginginkan teknologi satelit yang nanti dikembangkan di Biak bisa dilindungi hak ciptanya," katanya.

Teknologi peluncuran satelit Rusia yang nanti akan ditempatkan di atas Biak, katanya, bukan dengan teknologi peluncuran satelit dari tanah menggunakan roket, tapi satelit akan diangkut menggunakan angkutan pesawat terbang (air launch system/ ALS).

"Satelit diletakkan di punggung pesawat dan setelah mengudara dengan ketinggian tertentu maka satelitnya akan diluncurkan," kata Yopi.

Dikatakan pula, antara Indonesia dan Rusia selama ini telah menjalin kerjasama teknologi yang baik dan erat dan banyak pegawai Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional (Lapan) yang menuntut ilmu di Rusia.

Dubes Rusia juga mengundang Boediono menghadiri Forum Ekonomi Internasional pada Juni 2010 di St. Petersburg, Rusia.

"Dubes Alexander mengundang Wapres untuk bisa menghadiri forum tersebut di Rusia," katanya.

Nanosat Launch Vehicle (NLV)

2010-02-22T14:09:00.000-08:00

Garvey Spacecraft Corporation (GSC), based in Huntington Beach, California, is a small research and development (R&D) company, focusing on the development of advanced space technologies and launch vehicle systems. As part of the California Launch Vehicle Initiative (CALVEIN), GSC and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), are jointly conducting preliminary R&D tasks to establish the foundation for development of a two-stage, liquid propellant Nanosat Launch Vehicle (NLV).

Capable of delivering 10 kilograms (22 pounds) to a 250-kilometer (155-mile) polar orbit, the NLV will provide low-cost, dedicated launch services to universities and other research organizations that traditionally depend on secondary payload opportunities to access space. As part of this initiative, GSC and CSULB are pursuing advanced aerospike engine technology for use on the NLV first stage.

R&D tasks have fallen into two parallel paths. The first involves static fire testing of the LOX/propylene propellant combination that has been baselined for both NLV stages. The second involves testing of full-scale, low-fidelity prototypes of various NLV elements. The Prospector 5 represented the initial such test vehicle.

A joint industry - academic team achieved an important milestone on Saturday, 04 December 2004 when they conducted their initial launch and recovery of a full-scale flight development unit for a proposed Nanosat Launch Vehicle (NLV). The NLV is intended to provide dedicated, primary launch services to small satellite developers and operators whose spacecraft have a mass of 10 kg or less.

Working together through the California Launch Vehicle Education Initiative (CALVEIN), Garvey Spacecraft Corporation (GSC) and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) successfully launched and then recovered their Prospector 5 vehicle by parachute. The team conducted these operations at the Mojave Test Area that is owned and operated by the Reaction Research Society (RRS). The Prospector 5 is an early, low-fidelity version of the NLV first stage. The primary objective for this flight test was the demonstration that the CALVEIN team could develop and handle a vehicle of this scale. In addition, a "fincam" payload provided by a member of the CSULB student team transmitted on-board video of the first several seconds of flight, typifying the kind of academic experiments that are envisioned for operational NLV missions.

Also noteworthy with respect to other small launch vehicle development programs that are focusing on "responsive space launch" was that all field operations for the Prospector 5 flight test - from vehicle delivery through set-up, launch, recovery and loading for the trip back to the CSULB campus - were conducted in less than one day.

The successful recovery of the vehicle means that the CALVEIN team will be able to reuse the hardware in future flight testing. In addition to such full-scale vehicle test and evaluation, GSC, CSULB and other partners are also addressing alternative propellant combinations, the use of advanced materials for engine chambers and innovative approaches to payload accommodations. Previous team achievements include the first ever powered flight tests of a liquid-propellant aerospike engine in 2003. Future versions of such aerospike engines may be used to improve the performance of later iterations of the NLV.

Their current work builds upon the first-ever powered liquid propellant aerospike flight that the team conducted using several of its LOX/ethanol Prospector research vehicles. GSC’s most visible accomplishments include the first-ever flight of a composite LOX tank (conducted in partnership with Microcosm, Inc.), the first-ever powered flights of a liquid-propellant aerospike engine, and the launch and 100-percent recovery of several prototype reusable test vehicles.

Efforts during 2004 focused on refining the basic vehicle design while also maturing assembly, integration, check-out, and launch operation plans and coordinating with the user community to optimize the payload accommodations. CSULB students have developed a full-scale NLV mockup and have assembled the initial flight test vehicle for the NLV first stage. In December 2004, GSC conducted NLV the initial flight test with a full-scale “Flight Development Unit” of the first stage at the Mojave Test Area (MTA), with a successful recovery.

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Lapan-Tubsat, the Indonesian-built video surveillance satellite monitored Papua's environment

2010-02-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

Images of environmental destruction in the easternmost province of Papua have recently been captured by the Lapan-Tubsat, the Indonesian-built video surveillance satellite that went into orbit in 2007, the National Aeronautics and Space Agency said.

Toto Marnanto Kadri, chief of the Aerospace Electronics Technology Center run by the agency, also known as Lapan, said the damage in Papua – site of the giant Freeport McMoran mine – could be “read” in the images.

“The data still needs to be studied thoroughly by experts,” he said.

Mochammad Ichsan, chief of Lapan’s Space Vehicle Observation Unit in Biak, Papua, said an area near Timika’s airport showed quite noticeable changes judging by a comparison of recent images and those captured in the late 1980s.

Mochammad said a small “line” earlier indicating a river appeared to be a “much wider line today, up to five times wider.”

“All the trees along the riverbank are gone,” he told the Jakarta Globe.

The micro-satellite carries a high-resolution color video camera with coverage of 3.5 kilometers wide and a low-resolution color camera with a swath of 81 kilometers. The cameras have a resolution of five meters and 200 meters, respectively.

Monitoring of fires
The satellite carries telemetry and telecommand transmission systems, as well as an altitude control system allowing it to receive commands from various ground stations, including the one built last year in Biak.

Weighing 57 kg, the satellite can be used for real-time monitoring of forest fires, volcanic activity and flooding.

The satellite is currently focusing on forested areas as well as the cities of Biak, Timika, Sorong and Manokwari. Mochammad said the satellite could also cover western Indonesia and Singapore, as well as areas of Darwin, Australia.

Mochammad said the satellite and the ground station in Biak were both performing very well to date, but changing weather in Papua made it hard to consistently rely on the clarity of images it delivered.

“The camera usually only captures images of clouds, since it is pretty cloudy at the moment,” he said.

Besides the ground station in Biak, Lapan also has two other stations in Rancabungur and Rumpin, both in Bogor, all built by US-based engineering firms.

The agency has plans to build another station in Kototabang, West Sumatra.

Lapan claims that the satellite is still in good condition even though it has been orbiting for three years. The satellite has obtained images from western Indonesian regions and can cover from Singapore to Bali.

Last year it was used to monitor the construction process of the Suramadu Bridge in East Java and toll road projects outside Java.

The Emerging Iranian Space Program

2010-02-03T03:56:00.000-08:00

The Satellite Launch

"Dear Iranians, your children have put the first indigenous satellite into orbit," said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a television address. "With this launch the Islamic Republic of Iran has officially achieved a presence in space." In the face of world opposition and sanctions, Iran has joined a very exclusive club of those countries that have managed to orbit a satellite using their own launch vehicle. On Feb 2, 2009 around 1835 UTC Iran became the 11th country, to put a satellite named Omid (Hope) (Norad ID 33506) into orbit using the indigenously built launch vehicle Safir-2. The event appeared to be timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. The Iranian aerospace achievement comes as the country has been subject to sanctions for nearly 30 years. Iran as a nation can rightly feel proud of their historical achievement.
Both the United States and Russia confirmed tracking orbital elements of the Iranian spacecraft the following day. USA, UK and France expressed immediate concerns that the technology could be used to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles. Many in the west are comparing it to 1957 Soviet Unions Sputnik launch which signaled surprisingly rapid technological progress that eventuality translated into a greater military success. "I take my hat off to the Iranian scientists. ... They have shown their missiles can reach any point on the globe," Interfax quoted RKK Energia head Vitali Lapota. The critical lesson from February launch is that Iran is beginning to master the science of staging rockets to deliver larger payloads to higher orbits. On March 19, 2009 Iran announced that Omid has completed most of its mission and will remain in orbit for another 38 days before re-entering the earth’s atmosphere.

Launch Vehicle

Over a decade ago Iran was reported to develop a launch vehicle named IRIS based on Shahab-3. The Shahab-3 is a liquid fuelled (kerosene and nitric acid) single stage missile, an improved variant of Nodong-1/Scud-C vehicle. The Iran Space Research Center started testing launch capabilities with the Kavoshgar series sounding rockets since early 2007 reaching 150 -200 km altitude. These rockets were based on Shahab-3 series and were typically equipped with wind, air and temperature instruments. In 2008 Iran announced the development of a two stage launch vehicle Safir-1 which was claimed to have launched a dummy satellite in August. The main launch site is thought to be at Emamshahr, located at 36 deg 25 min latitude north and 55 deg 01 min east.
Iran’s technological breakthrough is the two stage (or may be three stage) Safir-2 launch vehicle which is a source of concern in the West. Iran has released few details on the rocket leaving the outsiders to guess at its capabilities. According to Iran Space Agency Safir-2 weighs 26 tons, and is 22 m length, 1.25 m diameter. Based on the technical information available on the different variants of the two-stage Scud using kerosene and nitric acid Safir-2 would not reach the orbital speed (7.7 km/sec) required for Omit’s orbit. Claims that Iran had used a solid-based third stage to launch the satellite were rejected when the amateur satellite observers reported tracking the second stage. The short faring ruled out the possibility of a spring type mechanical assist module. David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists (http://www.ucsusa.org) in Cambridge, Massachusetts in his analysis suggests the use of N2O4/UDMH as propellants, similar to that used by the China’s Long March Booster. The real advancement of Safir-2 lies in its second stage; the light weight composite design, clam shell fairings and launch ready storable liquid propellants – a significant advancement for military missiles. By using advanced fuel or lighter structures, if Safir-2 launched the satellite in two stages then Iran has gone beyond Scud technology and has leapfrogged the North Koreans in their mastery of missile technology. The April 5, 2009 North Korean launch failure confirms the Iranian superiority when the three-stage Taepodong-2 from vehicle failed to deliver a satellite to orbit.

Launch Vehicle Safir-2

(Check www.youtube.com for launch videos)

Satellites

Omid

The 27 kg Omid was launched in an elliptical orbit of perigee radius of 242 km and an apogee radius of 322 km at an inclination of 55 deg, circles the earth every 90-100 minutes, and transmits data on two frequency bands (prior to launch Iran registered 465 MHz as a downlink frequency and 401 MHz as command uplink) via its eight antennas. Satellite is equipped with command processing, GIS, telemetry, remote sensing and GPS instruments.

Omid is a 0.4 m cube

Sinah-1 (Norad ID 28893)

Earlier on October 27, 2005, Iran met a key aerospace objective by becoming the 43rd nation to own and operate a satellite. Sinah-1 is still operational and provides non-military grade imagery from two remote sensing cameras. The Sinah-1 spacecraft was built with the help of Russia’s Polyot Co for $15 million and entered orbit onboard a Russian Kosmos-3M launch vehicle. The satellite weighed 160 kg and was inserted in the Sun Synchronous orbit (perigee 689.6 km, apogee 710.6 km, inclination 98.2 deg) giving it a global coverage. It carries earth monitoring experimental payload which monitor agriculture, natural resources and disasters for Iran. Tehran initially planned to construct the satellite, but its manufacturer, the Iranian Institute of Applied Research, experienced technical difficulties and requested Russian assistance.

Sinah-1

Mesbah

On Feb 19, 2003, Iran and Italy signed an agreement to build and launch the Mesbah satellite. The project was to be undertaken through collaborations between Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology and Italy’s Carlo Gavazzi Space company and is estimated to have already cost $11.3 million. Iranian and Italian scientists were to work together to produce, test and launch the satellite. Under the agreement, Iranian scientists were to also be trained by experts from Carlo Gavazzi Space. The Iran Telecommunications Research Center (ITRC) and the Iran Science Organization of Science and Technology (IROST) are jointly building this micro-satellite with the Italian company. The satellite was the first Iranian satellite project to include indigenous technology and was heralded by the Iranian science minister as a new “era of producing and developing technology.” This satellite weighs 75 kg and has an expected lifetime of three years. One model tested included a gravity gradient controlled 700 x 500 x 500 mm unit a UHF payload transceiver with 35W average usage. Mesbah is a low earth orbit (LEO) civilian telecommunications satellite which will service about 1000 ground terminals, including mobile tracking system, fleet monitoring and metering station monitoring etc.
Originally scheduled for launch at the same time as the Sinah-1, the Mesbah’s deployment has been delayed and, as of February 2009 it was unclear when, or whether, the satellite would be launched. Once operational, personnel from ITRC/IROST will control it from a ground station in Tehran throughout its three-year lifespan.

SMSS

On April 12, 1998 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by China, Iran, South Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan and Thailand to build a joint Small Multi-Mission Satellite (SMMS). A project of the Asia-Pacific Multilateral Cooperation in Space Technology and Applications, the SMMS was a joint effort to develop a satellite for environmental monitoring and disaster management. This remote-sensing system was planned to be equipped with two, charge-coupled device cameras capable of 30-meter resolution, as well as a hyper-spectral imager. The satellite’s launch was initially anticipated for 2004, but delays pushed back the intended launch year to sometime in 2007, at the earliest. China, Iran and Thailand launched a satellite in 2008 with the same goal of monitoring and preparing for natural disasters, but it was unclear whether or not the satellite launched was the SMMS.

Zohreh

Iran has been planning the GEO communications satellite Zohreh since the 1970s. Zoreh has been the most troubled satellite project of Iran with many international agreements and cancellations. In 1993 Iran reached a tentative agreement to build two 1850 kg satellites with the Aerospatiale using the Alcatel Escape communication payload for a 10 year design lifetime. The 12 transponder satellite would have both the Ku-band and L-band links. It was suppose to occupy one of the three internationally allocated slots in the geosynchronous orbit reserved for Iran. Agreements could not be completed, due to technology transfer provisions through which US blocked countries to respond to Iran’s tender request.
On Jan 31, 2005 Russia and Iran signed another deal to continue with the Zohreh satellite project. An earlier deal for the same satellite with Russia was cancelled in Feb 2003 under US pressure. The deal was signed between the chairman of the Board of Directors of Iran Telecommunication Company and two Russian directors from Russia’s Federal Space Agency, Rosaviakosmos and Aviaexport. The $132 million agreement included the design, consultation, testing and the launch costs of the satellite system.

Iranian Space Organizations

The Iranian National Space Agency was established in April 2003, to apply space sciences and technology for economical, cultural and scientific development of the country. Three decades ago Iran launched the Iran Remote Space Sensing Center (IRSC), which was affiliated to the Ministry of Post and Telegraph and Technology. This veteran unit coordinates ground image distribution activities and geological and mineral studies.
The Iranian Space Research Center (ISRC) was built in an uninhabited desert area in Semnan Province, south-east of Tehran. The Center has a remote satellite command-and-control facility and a satellite launch pad. The agency has ground stations that can receive data from a number of the current and future satellites. The Aerospace Research Institute (ARI) affiliated to the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology is another active organization in the space science and technology applications that follows different space related studies and activities. The Islamic Republic of Iran Meteorological Organization (IRIMO) performs meteorological studies and atmosphere analysis in support of agriculture, transportation, water, energy, environment and related sectors. In addition to technical programs, at least seven Iranian Universities offer higher education and research in aerospace engineering.
The Islamic Republic Broadcast Organization rents its own transponders on the Intelsat, which is positioned on longitude 63 east. The organization also uses Eutelsat, HotBird-3, and Telstar satellite services. In addition, the communications station in Tehran via the Inmarsat satellite is designed mainly for communication with ships at sea. Iran employs satellite channels for contact with ships and mobile ground stations.

Australia: Woomera Rocket Range

2009-11-12T01:39:00.000-08:00

The Woomera Rocket Range is one of the world's largest launch sites. Officially known as the Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA), the facility covers some 127,000 sq km, which is almost exactly the size of England. Since Woomera's first missile was launched in 1949, the range has played an important role in the history of rocketry. It has been the site of guided weapons testing, space capsule launch and retrieval, sounding rocket tests, satellite launches, and tracking of early spacecraft, including the crewed spacecraft of the American Mercury program.

In broad terms, the establishment of the spaceport in 1947 marked the beginning of a joint Australia–United Kingdom agreement to develop and test guided weapons systems. More specifically, the British needed access to a launch site within the Commonwealth to test-fire the large number of missile systems planned in the postwar era. Several potential locations were identified, and the vast, sparsely populated, flat terrain of the state of South Australia was selected.

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Indonesian Space Port

2009-11-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

Indonesian

Indonesian Space Port : An Obsession (Part II)

by Kresno Putro *)

Summary

In part II of this paper, it will describe briefly some requirements for building and operating a spaceport, the requirement is divided into requirements for location and requirements for infrastructures. Afterward the feasibility of building a spaceport in Indonesia will be investigated.

General Requirements for Spaceport

In the attempts of building a spaceport in Indonesia indeed it should be considered and investigated its requirements and conditions and whether Indonesia is able to fulfill them. General requirements, especially the technical ones, can be divided into two parts, namely requirements for spaceport location and requirements for its infrastructures.

Requirements for Location

In choosing location for spaceport, main aspects to be considered are its safety and efficiency.

q The location should be suited with the primary mission of the spaceport, whether its priority is for GSO launches or for other orbits. For instance, if the spaceport is mainly intended for GSO launches, equatorial location is preferable because it can reduce the fuel use thereby lengthen the satellite operation.

q Geographical and weather aspect of the location, incorporating the consideration for natural disaster like earthquake, flood, volcano eruption, etc.

q Environmental aspects around the location, like the existing infrastructures, industrial location, the availability of electricity and water, gas, etc., including economic, social and cultural aspect.

q A spaceport should have open sea frontage around 180o so that it can function optimally, that is able to launch vehicle northward, southward, eastward, or other direction between south and north.

q A spaceport should have safe drop site location hence every remainder of launch vehicle can drop in safe area, particularly to the sea.

q Land surface and its depth should strong enough to hold heavy load, specifically it should be appropriate with launch vehicles to be used and the mission to be performed.

q In order to reduce construction and operation cost, the following should be taken into consideration:

· The number of population should be relocated
· Cost of land as minimum as possible
· The availability of adequate international airport and seaport, which the distance is not too far from the chosen location.
· The accessibility of roadway to the nearest airport or seaport.
· The availability of adequate electricity and clean water.
· The availability of adequate water for dialing with fire danger possibility.
· The availability of waste disposal.

Other aspects should not be forgot is the ample support from law and regulatory aspect because construction and operation of spaceport will much relate to regulatory aspect and international relationship, either bilateral or multilateral relationship.

Technical Requirements For Infrastructures

As it be known, a spaceport is comprised with many hi-tech facilities and infrastructures, which are expensive and some of them maybe dangerous or poisonous and able to cause big explosion. Technical requirements of the infrastructures much depend on rocket or launch vehicle type to be used and the missions will be performed by the spaceport. Nevertheless, in general the technical requirements needed for spaceport can be stated below:

q Having high safety factor and equipped with layered security equipment so that if one part of system fail there are still other systems can be used for rescuing. For example, it needs various equipment or cooling compressor to maintain temperature of rocket fuel below 20oC and rescue valve equipment if fuel’s pressure excess the normal value. Besides, in building a spaceport it should be considered the zoning of buildings and facilities, for example buildings/facilities distance are arranged in certain blocks which getting distant from launching pad. Commonly, the blocking of facilities is ordered as follow:

§ Launching pad as a center point
§ Firing control facility in the first radius, having distance more than 1 km.
§ Control facility center
§ Plan assembly facility, tester, etc., with distance more than 5 kms from the launching pad
§ Housing and office facility and also other auxiliary facilities.

q Having high reliability factor because it involves high cost and technologies so that the operation successful level should be high.

q Considering that launch vehicle and most of its supporting systems consist of chemical elements that could be poisonous or dangerous, it should be environment friendly like the necessity of anti-poisonous material to neutralize poisonous gas content in the air around the spaceport.

q Every facility should be built using high strength material, either to restrain very high load or very high temperature. For example, the load will be endured by launching pad building is the rocket weight added with rocket’s pushing force, which for commercial rocket it is typically more than 3 times the rocket’s weight (or the ratio between rocket’s weight and its pushing force is 1:3). If the weight of rocket is 50 ton, hence its pushing force will be 150 ton and the total load that the launching pad should hold is 200 ton. For launching weaponry rockets, it needs much stronger facilities because it should withstand load with the ratio between rocket weight and its pushing force is 1:10, intended to speed up initial moving of the rocket. Besides, the launching pad must be able to retain heat until 2000oC and therefore needs good cooling system, especially in its flame detector.

q Having high security factor which able to protect all facilities in spaceport from any disturbances.

Indonesia’s Efforts

The number of space vehicle (rockets, satellites) launches with various purposes are growing for years and countries having launch facilities are competing in giving more reliable and economic launching services. Besides, considering the Indonesia’s needs in operating numerous space vehicles either for continuing already existing satellite systems like SKSD Palapa, Telkom satellite, Cakrawarta, and garuda, or also for other satellite-application needs like remote sensing, navigation and geodesy, meteorology, researches and for technology development in regard with country autonomy. Those space vehicle launches, either for Indonesia or for other countries needs are expected can be done in Indonesia itself.

Based on above conditions, the building and operation of spaceport in Indonesia, which geographically lies on equatorial region and has wide sea, expected to give high competitive factor in the launching service competition. However in order to determine its feasibility, these following factor should be considered:

Domestic Factor

q The Indonesia’s location and geographic condition, lying along the equator greatly supports the development and the operation of spaceport, which is not possessed by most countries, even by countries already have spaceport facility. Spaceport located on equator will be more efficient compare to other location although they have same technical capability, mainly for delivering satellites to GSO. The satellite launches (GSO) eastward along the equator will give benefit thereby additional velocity from the earth rotation and does not need maneuvers which can consume the satellite’s fuel. This advantage can improve Indonesian competitive factor and can attract other countries to build a partnership in developing spaceport in Indonesia.

q Concerning Indonesia’s location between two continents and two oceans, covering wide sea area, then if the safety aspect is considered, Indonesia is very potential to be one of commercial launch center in the world.

q The Indonesia’s capability of mastering space technology including its human resources are dispersed in certain institutions and industries (e.g. LAPAN, BPPT, LIPI, BATAN, TNI-AU, PT. Industri Dirganta, PT. Telkom, PT. Indosat, PT. Satelindo, PT PSN, PT Media Citra Indostar), and in universities and other research institution, with coordination and integration, is an adequate competence to support the development of spaceport in Indonesia.

q Indonesia’s experiences in building huge and international projects, carried out by government, private companies, or in partnership with other countries, can be made as a foundation for building a spaceport in Indonesia.

Political stability, also economic and social stability, however still become impediment that may inhibit the development of spaceport in Indonesia. This condition is hopefully getting better so that gives more conducive climate for this effort.

International Factor

q The growing of launch vehicles number for various missions in the future will be continually increasing, causing the increasing demands in launching services. This will not only make greater market for launching services but also as a challenge for the countries having the spaceport to seize these opportunities.

q Some countries like RRC and ex-Uni Soviet (Russia, Ukraina, Uzbekhistan and Kazakhstan), and other private companies from developed countries, starting from economical view, have offered technologies needed for the development and the operation of spaceport. This offering, of course not only for Indonesia but also for other countries which can be regarded as Indonesia’s competitors.

q As the impact of global market and investment that cause increasing collaboration among countries, will give great chance for developing spaceport in Indonesia in partnership with other countries having space development programs.

q Industrial countries (G-7), since 1987, have proclaimed a treaty “ Missile Technology Control Region” (MTCR) which applies technology flow boundary, especially the flow from the members of this group to other countries which are strategic and having high economic prospect. Today, 26 countries (some of them are developing countries) have become MTCR members. These MTCR countries may interfere the development of spaceport in Indonesia, considering Indonesia is not MTCR member.

By concerning these factors, either domestic and international, it can be concluded that the Indonesia’s chance in building and operating a spaceport is still open, even though it should be companied by hard efforts and works.

Speaking about the real efforts have been done, in the middle of 80s, exactly in 1985, in a seminar held in Singapore, it has been stated the planning of building a spaceport in Indonesia. In this occasion, RRC, represented by Creatwall Co., which operates launch vehicle Long March, has proposed an offering a partnership in building and operating a spaceport in Indonesia, especially in Riau island.

In addition, the Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) as a research institution in the aeronautic field, individually or by corporation with, has carried out some studies in seeing the challenge of building a spaceport in Indonesia. From these researches, it is stated that Indonesia is very potential location to be built a commercial spaceport. Some of the most potential areas are Biak Island and Waigeo Island in Papua, Halmahera Island in Maluku, and Bintan Island in Riau. All of these areas have the advantage of having penalty number 0 and efficient number 24% more than Cape Kennedy in U.S has, if it is used to launch satellite to GSO eastward.

More real efforts have been made since 1995, starting with the ideas and attempts from independent team whose members are experts from LAPAN and supported by private company (PT. Mercu Buana) and also some of related institutions coordinated by Defense Department. It has made some preparations for building and operating a spaceport in Indonesia.

Some of the results of these efforts are the assignment of MOU between Indonesia government and Ukrain government in building spaceport in Indonesia, the assignment of MOU between Indonesia’s private companies and international consortium including Global Aero Design (Singapore), Ukraina government, and Ellipsat Inc. (U.S), and also has been prepared the draft of RI’s president decision about the development and the operation of spaceport in Indonesia.

However, because of monetary crisis in Asia including Indonesia since 1997, these real efforts have to be terminated. Lately, since the early 1999 this effort is tried to be revisited through the areas which are potential to be a spaceport like North Celebes and Riau. In fact, North Celebes’ DPRD, government, and certain private companies have performed some discussions several times.

Efforts have been made so far have not attained significant results yet in realizing Indonesia’s obsession to own spaceport. Besides external factors, this can be caused by un-concentrated Indonesia’s resources. Regarding to the efforts of managing Indonesia’s resources for spaceport building, apparently the Indonesian Satellite Association (ASSI), as an association in satellite-field, can give more significant role.

Conclusion

Since the decade of 70-s, Indonesia has used satellite services for various purposes like telecommunication, broadcasting, remote-sensing, weather forecasting, etc., and these application will be growing in the future. Based on this, it is natural for Indonesia to have an obsession of having and operating its own spaceport, and for realizing this obsession of course adequate infrastructures are needed.
Considering some aspects, mainly Indonesia’s location in equator and has much sea, Indonesia is potential to be built and operated a spaceport, either for launching to GSO or to other orbits. Besides boosting Indonesia’s autonomy, the development of spaceport will also motivate the development of other fields, not only in aeronautic one.

Efforts have been made so far have not attained significant results yet to realize Indonesia’s obsession to own spaceport. Besides external factors, this can be caused by the un-concentrated Indonesia’s resources. Regarding to the efforts of managing Indonesia’s resources for the development of spaceport in Indonesia, apparently the Indonesian Satellite Association (ASSI), as an association in satellite-field, can give more significant role.

References

“Space Logistics Engineering”, Kenneth Brown & Col. Lowrence D. Aly, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, London, 1962.
“International Launch Site Guide”, Roy M. Chiulli, The Aerospace Press, El Segundo, California, 1994.
“Blak Spaceport Study”, Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics & Space and E’Prime Aerospace Corporation - USA, 1995.
“Urgensi Pembangunan dan Pengoperasian Stasiun Peluncuran Wahana Antariksa di Wilayah RI, serta pengaturannya”, Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional (LAPAN), 1996.
“The Global Satellite Marketplace”, Neil Blackley / Tom Watts, Global Securities Research and Economics Group, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Limited, 1997.
“Presentations on New Launch Systems and Ventures at The Thirty Seventh Session of The Scientific and Technical Sub Committee on The Placeful Uses of Outer Space, 2000.
“Pra Studi Kelayakan Pembangunan Bandar Antariksa di Indonesia”, Pusat Analisis Perkembangan Kedirgantaraan - LAPAN, 2000.

National Institute of Aeronautics and Space

2009-11-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Indonesian: Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional/LAPAN) is the Indonesian government space agency. It was established in November 27, 1964 by former Indonesian president Suharto after one year's existence of an informal space agency organization. LAPAN is responsible for long-term civilian and military aerospace research. For over two decades, it has managed satellites, mainly telecommunication satellites, including the Palapa project satellites, which were built by Hughes (now Boeing Satellite Systems) and launched from the US on Delta rockets or from French Guiana using Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 rockets.

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Papua to build 2,000-MW power plant

2009-11-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

The Papua provincial administration is planning to build a 2,000 -megawatt (MW) hydro-power plant to meet electricity demand and to support infrastructure needs in Papua.

“We are finishing the feasibility studies for the hydro-power plant. [It requires] more than Rp 5 trillion [about US$525 million],” Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu said Tuesday after meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

“[The plant will eventually generate] 2,000 MW in total, but we’ll start with a 300-MW power plant and build it in steps.”

He said the administration would be one of the financiers in the hydro-power plant project, while also inviting other investors.

Barnabas, however, did not disclose the designated time for the studies to be completed or for the plant to commence operation.

Barnabas did not say whether the plan was part of 18 power plants slated to be built in the province by state utility company PT PLN during the 2007-2012 period.

PLN has said that the 18 power plants will include coal, hydro and micro-hydro plants, to meet power demand and lessen the province’s dependency on diesel-power.

The 18 power plants include the 19.2-MW Genyem hydro-power plant (expected to commence operation in 2010), two 10-MW coal-fired plants at Jayapura Baru (to commence operation in 2011-2012) and the 1.1-MW Amai micro-hydro-power plant (expected to commence operation in 2010).

Barnabas added that the power plant projects were just another example of how the resources-rich region is gearing up for a series of major development projects.

In addition to these electricity projects, Barnabas confirmed earlier statements by state officials over the establishment of a cement factory to help tackle a supply problem that often resulted in escalating cement prices in the region.

According to Industry Minister M.S. Hidayat, the US mining giant Freeport McMoran was among the investors interested in constructing a cement factory, worth about Rp 3 trillion.

Barnabas said that the construction of the cement factory would begin in 2010.

“What’s important is that good governance must be in place, infrastructure that supports investment, public support, security, and then other incentives for investment such as tax concessions and others,” he said.

In 2008, realized domestic investment reached Rp 5.7 trillion in Papua, while foreign investment totalled more than $5 billion.

BJ Habibie Menerima Penghargaan dari ITB

2009-11-04T01:12:00.000-08:00

Institut Teknologi Bandung hari ini memberikan penghargaan Ganesa Prajamanggala Bakti Kencana kepada Bachruddin Jusuf Habibie. Penghargaan berbentuk medali kuning keemasan itu diterima langsung mantan Presiden Republik Indonesia ketiga tersebut di Aula Barat ITB. Penghargaan yang sama, pertama kali diberikan kepada Wakil Presiden Jusuf Kalla, Februari lalu di Bandung.

habibiMenurut Rektor ITB Djoko Santoso, penghargaan tersebut diberikan kepada alumni ITB atau orang yang berjasa khusus. Habibie yang dinilai berjasa dalam bidang demokrasi, katanya, sempat kuliah di ITB jurusan mesin. ”Syaratnya dia orang nomor satu atau dua, dan selama memerintah memberi dampak positif ke ITB,” katanya usai acara, Selasa (4/11).

Untuk pejabat tertinggi negara, ITB selanjutnya akan memberikan penghargaan serupa untuk Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Pemberian itu rencananya sekaligus dengan penyematan gelar doktor honoris causa yang disiapkan sejak berbulan-bulan lalu. ”Waktunya menunggu kesediaan beliau,” ujarnya.

Setelah menerima penghargaan, BJ Habibie yang bersafari kuning dan berpeci hitam memberikan kuliah berjudul "Membangun Peradaban Indonesia Berbasis Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Teknologi." Berbicara tak kurang dari satu jam soal kependudukan, ekonomi, dan teknologi, Habibie banyak mengutip data Badan Pusat Statistik 2004.

Soal riset teknologi, kata dia, anggaran yang diberikan pemerintah saat ini terlalu kecil. Dibandingkan saat dirinya menjadi Menteri Riset dan Teknologi, dana yang diberikan sekarang hanya 10-20 persen. ”Arah ristek (sekarang) sudah benar, tapi kurang pada anggaran,” katanya saat jumpa pers.

Anggaran besar, ujar dia, dibutuhkan untuk para peneliti di LIPI atau universitas. Habibie meminta Menteri Pendidikan Nasional serta Menteri Riset dan Teknologi menaikkan anggaran untuk penelitian. Menurutnya, Indonesia tidak bisa mengandalkan kerjasama dengan negara lain. ”Kita harus kembangkan sendiri,” katanya.

China's "father of space technology" dies at 98

2009-11-01T01:04:00.000-07:00

China's keystone space scientist Qian Xuesen, widely acclaimed as the country's "father of space technology" and "king of rocketry", died of illness here Saturday morning at the age of 98.

In 1956, based on Qian's position paper on the country's defense and aviation industry, the central government set up an aviation industry committee, which later became the leading organization for China's missile and aviation programs.

Under the guidance of Qian, also known as Tsien Hsue-shen, China finished the blueprint on developing jet and rocket technology. He also played a significant role in developing the country's first artificial earth satellite.

"Mr. Qian used to hold academic seminars for us. We exchanged scientific ideas and wrote articles together. The whole time when we worked with Mr. Qian had a great influence on us," Yu Jingyuan, a senior researcher with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation told Xinhua Saturday afternoon on hearing the news.

In one of Qian's legendary stories, a missile project team encountered repeated failures during the engine experiments in 1950s. Team members couldn't figure out what was wrong and turned to him. In a meeting, Qian paced around the room, listened to everyone's ideas and ask them further questions for about 40 minutes. He then hinted the team that they should take into account the high-frequency vibration when the engine was running.

He was right. In June 1964, China successfully created its first medium- and short-range missile, marking the start of the country's first missile defense system nuclear weapon.

During the man-made satellite project, when everyone else was not sure that the satellite would work perfectly in space given the limited testing facilities, Qian researched piles of documents and papers and wrote, "In my opinion, the satellite is done."

On April 24, 1970, "Dongfanghong-I (Red East 1)", the country's first man-made satellite, was successfully launched.

Yu Jingyuan said Qian had very deep understanding of his own profession and also had a wide knowledge regarding many other fields. "He was a true science leader and master with brilliant scientific and philosophic thinking."

Qian, a member of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1934.

In 1935, he went to study in the aviation department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later studied aviation engineering at the California Institute of Technology. In 1939, he received a doctorate in aviation and mathematics.

In 1947, 36-year-old Qian was already a professor at the Massachusetts Institute.

According to his son Qian Yonggang, the Kuomintang once invited Qian to come back but he refused. He returned to the mainland after the new China was founded.

However, Qian's road home was not smooth.

Documents show that amid the McCarthyism in the 1950s, allegations were made that he was a communist who stole confidential information about the U.S. government.

Qian was put in prison for 15 days, followed by a 5-year house arrest under surveillance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In June 1955, a letter from Qian managed to get out of the U.S. border and finally reached then Premier Zhou Enlai, resulting in Sino-U.S. talks which led to his release.

Together with his wife and two children, Qian sailed for more than a month before arriving in the mainland.

On the official BBS of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where Qian majored in mechanic engineering from 1929 to 1934, many alumni still couldn't believe the news while replies to the posts soon topped 850 in six hours.

Many regarded his death as "a superstar fell" and expressed their blessings for him -- "Dear Mr. Qian, rest in peace. We will never forget your achievements."

According to the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press, the press is currently compiling a picture album of Qian and a collection of his writings based on 800-plus-page documents retrieved from the U.S. National Archives, which include details about his encounters with the U.S. government and his trip back home.

The picture book will be released soon and the writing compilation is due to come out in next spring.

Although Qian, a Hangzhou native in east China's Zhejiang Province, had long been a Beijing resident, his hometown friends feel close to him.

In one of the most popular local web portal "19 lou", more than8,000 visitors read the news in three hours.

"Masters, you've always been the mental support for us post-70sgeneration but one by one you're gone... Our country needs more masters like you..." wrote a netizen named "sheliqiang" in a hundred-word reply.

On Saturday, a documentary about Qian, produced by Xinhua, has been broadcast on the Internet and the agency's TV channel. Taiwan's Eastern Television will also air the program on Saturday evening.

"He was a 'people's scientist' with firm political belief and pure moralities," researcher Yu Jingyuan said.

Teropong Matahari Boscha Setara Fasilitas Luar Angkasa

2009-10-31T08:22:00.000-07:00

Teropong matahari yang baru selesai dibangun di Observatorium Boscha di Lembang disebut-sebut setara dengan fasilitas sama di luar angkasa. Ini karena Indonesia berada di daerah tropis yang sangat tepat untuk penelitian matahari.

"Teleskop ini setara dengan teleskop yang ada di luar angkasa. Di sini, matahari bersinar sepanjang hari dan jarang awan, "tutur Robert J. Rutten, pakar fisika matahari dari Utrecht University, Belanda, yang ikut hadir dalam peresmian Teropong Matahari, Sabtu (31/10).

Di luar angkasa, salah satu wahana SOHO milik NASA yang khusus diperuntukkan mengamati matahari. Namun, tentu saja, teknis teknologi Teropong Matahari di Boscha masih sangat jauh dari SOHO.

Meskipun secara teknis kemampuan Teropong Matahari di Boscha tidaklah sebaik yang dimiliki di negara lain, termasuk di tempat penelitiannya di sebuah pulau di Laut Atlantik, keberadaan teropong di Boscha ini cukup vital. Selain letaknya yang cukup strategis, kompleks Boscha juga tidak jauh dari kota dan pusat-pusat pendidikan.

Untuk itu, dia berharap, keberadaan Teropong Matahari ini bisa lebih mendorong masyarakat, khususnya pelajar, akan ilmu astronomi. Fungsi utamanya adalah untuk pendidikan massal. Untuk merangsang banyak pelahar lebih menyukai astronomi. "Di tempat ini, kita bisa mendapatkan data yang canggih dan lengkap untuk proyek-proyek pengamatan atau penelitian pelajar," tuturnya.

Kepala Observatorium Boscha Taufik Hidayat berpendapat senada, pelayanan publik akan diutamakan di dalam pemanfaatan teropong yang baru ini. Untuk bisa memanfaatkan data pengamatan teropong ini, masyarakat umum pun tidak perlu repot datang ke lokasi.

Sebab, data secara realtime di-streaming di dalam situs ITB. Data ini pun rencananya akan dipasok untuk Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional.

UFO Indonesia: Kelap-kelip Keluarkan Cahaya dan Berputar Turun Naik

2009-10-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

Benda asing yang dilihat di langit oleh warga Blok G Komplek Griya Bandung Indah (GBI) Bojongsoang Kabupaten Bandung, mengeluarkan cahaya putih kelap-kelip dan berputar sambil turun naik.

Eka Widiana (27), warga yang merekam penampakan benda asing itu, menceritakan pada detikbandung, Selasa (27/10/2009). Pukul 20.30 WIB dia melihat benda asing itu mengeluarkan cahaya putih seperti lampu neon.

"Kalau di sini cahayanya terlihat segi empat, kalau bentuk bendanya enggak terlihat jelas," tuturnya.

Benda asing yang dilihatnya bersama puluhan warga lainnya itu, berputar dan naik turun. "Berputar lalu turun, trus berputar lagi, lalu naik lagi. Tapi tempatnya hanya di situ-situ saja," terangnya.

Hal yang sama dikatakan warga lainnya Della Febrianty (26). Dari teras rumahnya, Della pun melihat benda itu bergerak naik turun lalu berputar.

"Kalau di sini terlihat cahayanya berbentuk panjang ke samping, enggak bulat," ungkapnya.

Della mengaku tak tahu benda apa itu. "Warga lainnya sih teriak itu UFO," katanya.

Penampakan benda asing di langit yang membuat geger warga Blok G Komplek Griya Bandung Indah (GBI) Kabupaten Banding itu, muncul selama 30 menit.

Jelajahi Antariksa Pakai iPhone dan iPod Touch

2009-10-25T05:16:00.000-07:00

Pengguna iPhone dan iPod Touch kini bisa menikmati rasanya menjelajahi antariksa lewat aplikasi baru yang dirilis badan antaraiksa AS, NASA. Aplikasi yang bebas digunakan dan diunduh di Apple App Store itu menampilkan arsip foto, video, dan informasi terkini misi-misi antariksa NASA.

"Kami sangat senang bisa memberikan konten NASA yang meliputi banyak hal dan paling baru sekalipun kepada pengguna iPhone dan iPod Touch," ujar Gary Martin, direktur di Pusat Penelitian Ames, salah satu pusat riset milik NASA yang mengembangkan aplikasi tersebut. Ia mengatakan aplikasi ini menyediakan cara yang mudah dan menarik kepada publik untuk mengikuti program penjelajahan ruang angkasa.

Dengan aplikasi tersebut, misalnya, pengguna dapat melecak posisi stasiun antariksa internasional (ISS) yang tengah mengorbit Bumi. Selain itu, penggunanya juga dapat mengikuti hitung mundur dan detik-detik misi peluncuran pesawat ulang alik.

Astronot Coba Seks Luar Angkasa

2009-10-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

Astronot AS dan Rusia melakukan hubungan seks di luar angkasa dalam program penelitian terpisah, bagaimana cara manusia bisa bertahan hidup bertahun-tahun di orbit.

Pierre Kohler, penulis ilmiah asal Perancis yang dihormati, mengatakan dalam buku The Final Missioni: Mir, The Human Adventure subyek itu tabu baik di NASA maupun di ruang kontrol misi di Moskow. Akan tetapi persetubuhan kosmik itu telah terjadi.

"Masalah seks di ruang angkasa adalah serius," katanya. "Eksperimen yang dilakukan sejauh ini berkaitan dengan misi yang direncanakan untuk pasangan suami-istri Stasiun Luar Angkasa Internasional masa depan, penerus dari stasiun ruang angkasa Mir. Ilmuwan perlu mengetahui seberapa jauh hubungan seksual dapat terjadi tanpa gravitasi."

Dia mengutip sebuah laporan rahasia NASA pada misi ulang alik di tahun 1996. Sebuah proyek dengan kode sandi STS-XX berisi tentang eksplorasi kemungkinan posisi seksual dalam atmosfer yang ringan.

Dua puluh posisi diuji dengan simulasi komputer untuk mendapatkan 10 posisi yang terbaik, katanya. "Dua kelinci percobaan kemudian diuji secara nyata dalam kondisi gravitasi nol. Hasil rekaman dianggap terlalu sensitif, sehingga NASA hanya memberikan versi yang disensor."

Hanya empat posisi yang ditemukan dapat dilakukan tanpa "bantuan mekanis". Ke enam lainnya memerlukan sabuk khusus yang terbuat dari karet elastis dan terowongan, seperti kantong tidur tanpa ujung.

Kohler mengatakan, "Salah satu temuan utama adalah posisi misionaris yang klasik, dan begitu mudah dilakukan di bumi dengan bantuan gravitasi yang mendorong satu ke bawah. Hal ini tidak mungkin dilakukan."

Ekspansi ke Jakarta, Bank Papua Targetkan Kredit Rp 2,6 Triliun

2009-10-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

PT Bank Pembangunan Daerah Papua (Bank Papua) menargetkan total kucuran kredit sebesar Rp 2,8 triliun sampai dengan akhir tahun 2009. Sampai dengan bulan September 2009 Bank Papua telah menyalurkan kredit sebesar Rp 2,6 triliun.

Demikian dikatakan oleh Direktur Utama Bank Papua, Eddy R Sinulingga dalam acara Grand Opening Bank Papua cabang Jakarta di Thamrin City, Jakarta, Rabu (21/10/2009).

Ia mengatakan saat ini penyaluran kredit sudah sesuai dengan target perseroan dan dirinya optimistis akan mencapai target akhir tahun 2009. "Dalam rangka ekspansi usaha Bank Papua juga memberikan kredit sindikasi," jelasnya.

Lebih lanjut dia mengatakan, untuk memudahkan proses pemberian kredit, Bank Papua membuka cabang di Jakarta. "Jakarta dapat dijadikan sebagai tempat pertemuan para pihak yang terkait, mulai dari proses penawaran negosiasi, proses pencairan sampai kepada proses pengawasannya," tuturnya.

Cabang Jakarta, lanjut Eddy, juga dijadikan tempat berkumpulnya berbagai bank calon investor dimana Bank Papua terpilih sebagai arranger pemberian suatu kredit sindikasi.

Eddy juga mengatakan, kantor Bank Papua Jakarta akan lebih leluasa melakukan aktivitas treasury misalnya dalam hal trading di pasar uang, melakukan penempatan dana dalam bentuk SBI, SUN, dan bahkan ke depan akan dapat melakukan transaksi dalam valuta asing (valas).

"Cabang Jakarta akan ditingkatkan statusnya menjadi bank devisa," tegasnya.

Sampai dengan bulan September 2009, Bank Papua telah berhasil mengumpulkan Dana Pihak Ketiga (DPK) sebesar Rp 8.4 triliun atau melampaui target awal perseroan yang hanya sebesar Rp 7,9 triliun.

Rasio kecukupan modal (CAR) berada di posisi 27,69 persen dan Non Performing Loan (NPL) di posisi 0,86 persen per September. Total aset tercatat Rp 9,8 triliun per september 2009. Saat ini Bank Papua telah mempunyai 87 jaringan kantor.

Hujan Meteor Orionid pada 17-25 Oktober di Tengah Malam

2009-10-21T03:23:00.000-07:00

Meteor Orionid berhamburan di langit, tepat di atas kepala kita pada tengah malam. Fenomena alam itu bisa disaksikan dari tanggal 17-25 Oktober 2009.

"Hujan meteor Orionid pada pertengahan Oktober, puncaknya sekitar pekan ketiga Oktober," ujar peneliti utama astronomi dan astrofisika Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional (Lapan) Dr Tjomas Djamaluddin pada detikcom, Rabu (21/10/2009).

Hujan meteor yang terjadi selama sepekan ini, imbuhnya, terjadi karena Bumi melintasi lintasan Komet Halley. Nah, meteor yang berhamburan itu sejatinya adalah sisa-sisa debu Komet Halley, yang muncul setiap 76 tahun sekali.

"Kalau malam cerah, kita bisa melihat bintang jatuh dari arah Rasi Orion, ada 4 bintang dengan 3 bintang di tengah. Tepat di atas kepala kita," jelasnya.

Saking derasnya, bisa disaksikan beberapa puluh meteor dalam satu jam. "Waktu yang paling baik adalah tengah malam hingga subuh," imbuh dia.

Hujan meteor itu bisa disaksikan dengan mata telanjang. Sedangkan dengan bantuan teleskop, malah lebih sulit karena sudut pandangnya sempit.

"Bintang jatuhnya seperti kembang api," jelas Thomas.

Demam teknologi satelit nano, Universitas anda mau ikut????

2009-10-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

Indonesia berencana mengembangkan Satelit Nano, yakni satelit dengan bobot antara 1-10 Kg. Walau berukuran kecil namun fungsi dan kegunaannya tidak kalah dengan satelit berbobot lebih besar seperti pantauan perairan, agrikultur, dan transponder radio amatir.

Proyek Satelit Nano yang akan menjadi kerjasama atau kolaborasi berbagai universitas di Indonesia dan pemerintah ini, menurut SON KUSWADI Sekretaris Menteri Komunikasi dan Informatika juga harus diperhatikan dari segi hukumnya.

“Segala yang ada kaitannya dengan hukum mengenai orbit satelit ini juga harus didefinisikan dengan jelas, agar tidak memunculkan masalah di kemudian hari,” kata SON saat membuka Seminar Indonesian Nano Satellite Platform Initiative for Research and Education (INSPIRE) di Politeknik Elektronika Negeri Surabaya - Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (PENS-ITS), Senin (19/10).

SON mengatakan dalam kaitannya dengan satelit ini, Departemen Komunikasi dan Informatika (Depkominfo) hanya sebagai regulator dan bukan pemain. Nantinya Depkominfo akan lebih berperan dalam penyusunan aturan orbit satelit ini dan perjanjian internasional yang terkait.

Selain itu yang harus diperhatikan juga menurut SON adalah ecotechnology, apakah teknologi ini ramah lingkungan atau tidak. Karena aspek lingkungan juga perlu diperhatikan. “Walau kita bisa membuat teknologi nano tapi tidak ramah lingkungan, juga tidak ada artinya kan?” ujarnya.

Ditambahkan SON, bangsa Indonesia harus lebih percaya diri. Jika umumnya Bangsa Indonesia mempunyai sikap kurang percaya diri, hal ini harus berubah. Terlebih dengan adanya proyek Satelit Nano ini.

“Apalagi kalau sampai beranggapan Satelit Nano sulit dan mustahil untuk diwujudkan. Saya percaya proyek ini merupakan langkah awal untuk melihat hal yang tidak mungkin menjadi mungkin. Mari kita berharap dan berdoa bersama-sama,” pungkas SON.

Andromeda galaxy: NASA Swift Satellite takes best-ever picture

2009-10-20T02:42:00.000-07:00

The Andromeda galaxy, one of our nearest intergalactic neighbors, has been captured in higher detail than ever before by NASA’s Swift Satellite space telescope.

Swift spent around 24 hours staring at the distant smudge of light, taking 330 separate images totaling 85 gigabytes of data.

Visible in the centre of the image is a brightly glowing bulge, which represents a high concentration of older, cooler stars near the galaxy’s nucleus.

The whole image shows a region of space around 200,000 light years across and 100,000 high, around twice the diameter of the Milky Way.

Out on the spiral arms of the galaxy are the younger, hotter-burning stars, still being fed by the clouds of gas and dust they need to fuel their nuclear fusion.

Andromeda, a hop and a skip away in galactic terms at 2.5 million light years, was the first galaxy to be recognized outside the Milky Way, and the nearest spiral galaxy to our own.

Its discovery transformed our understanding of the universe. Beforehand it was thought that the mere 200 billion or so stars of the Milky Way represented the entire cosmos.

Since Andromeda was confirmed to be a separate entity, itself containing around a trillion stars, the estimate has grown to include more than 100 billion galaxies, each containing tens or hundreds of billions of stars.

The Swift Satellite is surveying various galaxies in our neighborhood – known as the Local Group – in order to learn more about how stars form.

Batalyon Paskhas di Biak dan Medan Akan Segera Dibentuk

2009-10-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

TNI Angkatan Udara segera menambah dua batalyon Korps Pasukan Khas (Paskhas) guna mengoptimalkan pelaksanaan tugas pokok Korps Paskhas sebagai salah satu komando utama matra udara sesuai tantangan dan ancaman yang dihadapi.

Kepala Staf Angkatan Udara (Kasau) Marsekal TNI Subandrio usai memimpin peringatan HUT ke-62 Korps Paskhas di Bandung, Senin, mengatakan, pada 2010 pihaknya akan membangun Batalyon 468 di Biak, sebagai kembangan dari kompi F/BS. "Setelah itu, baru kita bentuk Batalyon 469 di Medan, kembangan dari Kompi A/Berdiri Sendiri/BS," kata Subandrio.

Sementara itu, Komandan Korps Paskhas Marsekal Pertama TNI Harry Budiono mengatakan, kesiapan pembentukan Batalyon 468 Paskhas di Biak sudah memasuki tahap penyelesaian seperti penyempurnaan infrastruktur, sarana, dan prasarana lainnya.

"Personel kan sudah ada dari satuan asalnya yakni Kompi F/BS," katanya.

Harry mengatakan, pembentukan sejumlah batalyon Korps Paskhas itu di beberapa titik di wilayah Indonesia merupakan salah satu bentuk pergelaran kekuatan Paskhas sebagai salah satu unsur kekuatan pertahanan negara.

"Saat ini telah terbentuk tujuh batalyon dan delapan kompi BS. Nah ini kan kita kaji lagi kelanjutannya sesuai kebutuhan dan eskalasi ancaman yang dihadapi," katanya.

Korps Paskhas adalah kotama (komando utama) pembinaan TNI AU yang langsung berada di bawah Kasau yang bertugas membina kekuatan dan kemampuan Paskhas dalam pertahanan pangkalan, alat utama sistem senjata, instalasi Angkatan Udara, Pengendalian Pangkalan Udara Depan, Pengedalian Tempur, SAR Tempur serta operasi lain sesuai kebijakan Panglima TNI.

Sekilas Tentang Program Mikrosat G2 LAPAN

2009-10-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

Satelit mikrosat G2 LAPAN memiliki misi pemantauan bumi untuk mendukung informasi ketahanan pangan. Program satelit G2 LAPAN ini adalah kelanjutan dari program satelit LAPAN-TUBsat dengan payload misi penginderaan jauh kanal multispektral dengan teknologi CCD.

Transmisi dari satelit ke stasiun bumi pengguna dan format datanya, diharapkan memperhatikan kemampuan stasiun bumi yang sudah ada sehingga tidak perlu mengeluarkan investasi untuk sistem ruas bumi yang baru. Dalam hal ini di Indonesia sudah terdapat beberapa stasiun bumi yang dikelola diantaranya oleh LAPAN, BMG, Dephut, DKP, IPB yang umumnya adalah L atau X band.

Dalam program Satelit G2 LAPAN diharapkan juga memperhatikan local content untuk disain, assembling dan pembuatan perangkat lunak, selain juga memperhatikan transfer teknologi melalui sekolah atau industrial training.

Berdasarkan hasil kajian pengguna sehubungan dengan misi tersebut, karakteristik spektral pada sensor satelit G2 LAPAN tersebut diharapkan menyerupai Landsat TM atau Spot dengan resolusi spasial 30m x 30m hingga 10m x 10m. Pada sistem pemaketan data yang dikirimkan ke stasiun bumi pengguna, diharapkan terdapat header yang berisi metadata berupa waktu, posisi matahari dan satelit, dan parameter lain yang berfungsi untuk koreksi-koreksi data secara sistematik. Sehingga diharapkan data satelit G2 LAPAN selain multispektral juga memiliki resolusi spasial dan temporal yang baik dan mencukupi untuk pemantauan tanaman pangan.

Untuk memantau tanaman pangan dalam hal ini umumnya adalah padi yang memiliki umur sekitar 110 hari serta kondisi cuaca di Indonesia yang sering berawan, diharapkan satelit G2 LAPAN dapat memantau vegetasi tanaman dengan periode ulang yang tinggi diharapkan sekitar 3 kali per bulan, sehingga dapat dipergunakan untuk memantau pola pertumbuhan tanaman untuk prediksi produksi tanaman pangan.

Melalui metode yang sudah dikembangkan khususnya di LAPAN, diharapkan dari data satelit ini dapat diperoleh informasi untuk mendukung ketahanan pangan yang berupa, luas lahan pertanian, fase pertumbuhan tanaman, ketersediaan air irigasi, produktivitas tanaman pangan, prediksi waktu panen dan kekeringan lahan.

Papua 2030: Mungkinkah Astronot Indonesia asli putera daerah Papua meluncur ke ruang angkasa??

2009-10-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Bukanlah sebuah tabu untuk bermimpi, suatu saat putera daerah Papua akan menjadi bagian dari astronot-astronot Indonesia yang akan diluncurkan oleh Lapan dari Biak spaceport.

Untuk itu, Lapan kiranya perlu membuat blue print yang jelas mengenai eksplorasi ruang angkasa demi kemaslahatan ummat manusia khususnya mereka yang sedang berasa di planet Indonesia ini.

Dengan demikian, generasi muda bisa menyesuaikan diri akan masa depan Indonesia yang jelas seperti yang digariskan oleh blue print lapan tersebut. Universitas-universitas yang membuka jurusan teknik ruang angkasa perlu diperbanyak di Papua. Karena applikasi ilmu ruang angksa sangat berguna untuk kemajuan bidang lain seperti pertanian, perikanan dan lain sebagainya.

Journey To Andromeda

2009-09-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

Andromeda is at coordinates Dec = 41 degrees, HA = 0h 45m (11 deg)
The center of the milky way is at Dec = -29 degrees, HA = 17h 45m (256 deg = 360 - 104).

Imagine a standard 12-hour clock face, with the center of the milky way at the center. The Earth is at 12:32. Andromeda is in the direction of 2:38. Andromeda is about 2,500,000 light years away, while the milky way center is about 25,900 light years. The Earth orbits around the galaxy counterclockwise. So it needs to go around for 167 million years to get to the point where Andromeda is closest. You would want to start about 50 million years before that, to take advantage of the rotational speed.

But why wait 117 million years? Any reasonable probe is going to travel at at least 1% light speed, just to make the trip in less than 250 million years. Adding 0.52 million years doesn't seem worth worrying about. If the probe could reach 10% light speed, it would take 25 million years, and starting at the "wrong" time would add only 0.052 million years. Waiting for the natural rotation of the galaxy for the Earth to get to the "right" place mean waiting 117 million years. That would be like waiting over a hour for a bus to come along, just so you could take the bus for a trip of 1 foot!

By the way, any probe that could last in space for 25 million years is going to have to be smarter than all of today's human civilization. So it might as well be manned. It will be a few 1000 years before we humans have the technology to build such a thing. By that time, the distinction between humans and robots may be hard to see.

Did Soyuz TMA-11's equipment module not separate?

2009-09-26T03:31:00.000-07:00

There appears to be growing evidence that TMA-11 suffered a repeat of an incident known to have occured in 1969 with the descent of Soyuz 5

Former Flight International contributor James Oberg has had an article published on IEEE Spectrum online that has information from an internal NASA report that indicates a fault with the separation of TMA-11's descent and equipment modules

Flight is also investigating sources that suggest that TMA-11 is not the only recent repeat of the Soyuz 5 equipment module problem

More

Team Selenokhod Enters Google Lunar X PRIZE Competition

2009-09-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

Team Selenokhod, a Russian group of engineers and managers, has announced its official entry into the Google Lunar X PRIZE - a $30 million competition that challenges space professionals and engineers from across the globe to build and launch to the moon a privately funded spacecraft capable of completing a series of exploration and transmission tasks as outlined in the competition's official rules.

Team Selenokhod, headquartered in Moscow, Russia with ten group members, is among 20 teams from 44 countries that are competing for their share of the $30 million prize purse.

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Seventh Ariane 5 For Launch In 2009 Arrives At The Spaceport

2009-09-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

Arianespace's French Guiana Launch vehicles for three upcoming Arianespace missions are now at the Spaceport in French Guiana following this week's delivery of components for Ariane 5's record seventh flight of 2009.

The latest Ariane 5 was delivered by the MN Toucan, which is one of two roll-on/roll-off sea-going vessels that transport launchers and other hardware from Arianespace's European manufacturing network to the launch site in South America.

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Peristiwa Bergambar Dari Biak

2009-09-21T00:29:00.000-07:00

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to sign an agreement with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the transfer of Russian aerospace technology to Indonesia, an official has said.

Adi Sadewo Salatun, the deputy chairman of aerospace assessment, science and information at the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), said that the agreement would also ensure that Russia's plan to build and operate the Air Launch System (ALS) in Biak Numfor in Papua would benefit the local people.

He also expressed his hope that the agreement would encourage a discussion at home on a space act, which -- among other elements -- would guarantee the responsibilities of each party involved in the aerospace project.

He added that any foreign country could take part in the rocket launching project through a joint investment scheme.

Adi's statement was a contrast to a previous statement from the President of the Air Launch Aerospace corporation, Anatoly Karpov, who was quoted by RIA Novosti news agency last month as saying the agreement would guarantee the protection of the Russian technology.

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Japan's Surface Meteorological Data at Biak, Indonesia

2009-09-21T00:26:00.000-07:00

This may be done by including text such as surface meteorological data were ontained by the HARIMAU project promoted by JAMSTEC and BPPT under collaboration with RISH of Kyoto University and LAPAN. We would also appreciate receiving a copy of the relevant publications.

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A Short Visit to the Biak, The Future Space Port of Indonesia

2009-09-21T00:24:00.000-07:00

Utillizing converted equipment from the cold-war era into commercials need, the technology should be competitive for providing the growing commercial market of space related services.

This project is a cooperation between the Government of Indonesia and Russia, and that would benefit for both countries, either on economy, science, technology or even politics. Since Biak is in the position just slightly near the equator and just on the Pacific Ocean, that should be comfort and efficient for space-launching, and those aspects are important on attracting client for space-related services.

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India's ISRO tracking facility on Indonesia’s Biak island

2009-09-21T00:20:00.000-07:00

India successfully placed in orbit on September 12 its first exclusive meteorological satellite that will allow it to make more accurate weather forecasts and improve the prediction of cyclones and storms.

The 1,060-kg meteorological satellite or Metsat was shot into space by the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota, India’s satellite launch facility in Andhra Pradesh.

“The satellite is in safe orbit close to its intended position,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K. Kasturirangan said at Sriharikota after the satellite’s solar panels were deployed.

“It is a wonderful moment to have achieved this very remarkable mission”. He indicated that the successful launch would boost India’s plan to send a mission to the moon.

Metsat was placed in a geo-synchronous transfer orbit with improved propellant technology. Unlike ISRO’s INSAT satellites that carry meteorological and broadcast systems, Metsat is designed exclusively for studying the weather. It has a new lightweight antenna, made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic, that transmits data from a very high-resolution radiometer and relay transponder.

The satellite is expected to provide the weather office in New Delhi with very high-resolution pictures of the slightest atmospheric disturbances and to help in predicting cyclones and storms.

Future INSAT satellites from ISRO’s stables will have greater freedom to devote their entire payload to communications technology without having to carry cumbersome equipment required for weather studies.

Kasturirangan said this would also allow ISRO to extend the average lifespan of 10 years for an INSAT satellite by five years.

This was the seventh flight of the 44-metre high PSLV, developed by ISRO and capable of putting into orbit satellites weighing up to 1,200 kg. Described by Kasturirangan as ISRO’s workhorse, PSLV was initially designed to launch 900 kg remote sensing satellites. Since 1994, it has been a symbol of India’s success story in space. The PSLV is designed to place satellites 900 km above the earth in polar sun synchronised orbits.

The last in the PSLV series - the PSLV-C3 - was launched in October last year with three satellites — the Technology Experimental Satellite or TES, India’s first spy satellite, the German BIRD and the Belgian PROBA.

Over the last eight years, the PSLV system designed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram has been upgraded and modified several times.

The world’s largest solid propellant boosters, carrying 138 tonnes of a fuel called hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene, are used in the first stage. Six strap-on motors aid the first stage thrust. Locally built Vikas engines are used in the second stage.

The rocket is given a kick by engines using 7.6 tonnes of fuel in the third stage and twin engines using liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen propellants place the PSLV’s payload in outer space in the fourth and final stage.

An inertial navigation system guides the PSLV from launch to orbit injection stage.

The solar panels of Metsat were designed to open automatically as soon as the satellite separated from the rocket, and generate 550 watts of power. The satellite has a nickel-cadmium battery to power it at times when it is in the earth’s shadow.

Metsat will be monitored by an ISRO tracking facility on Indonesia’s Biak island. The Hassan facility in Karnataka will control the satellite. Ground stations in Canada, Italy and China will help ISRO monitor Metsat.

FAA commercial space office says "Space is next"

2009-09-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

It's next because we emerged from the cave and found two sticks and made fire. Because we crossed valleys and mountains and explored. Because we built ships and discovered new countries and new peoples and charted the world. Because we looked to the heavens and decided: It's next.

Space is next -- probed but unconquered, examined but unpainted. For 40 years a select, lucky few have lived it, felt the yank of g-forces as they shot past the yokes of gravity and burst into the blackness and wonder and possibility that exists in space.

In the next 40 years, it could be anyone. Society is hurtling toward the day when the average person could walk into a spaceport and buy a ticket for the moon, for a space hotel, for a quick trip across the planet.

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Lapan Berencana Dirikan Space Port di Biak

2009-09-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional (LAPAN) akan mendirikan space port atau lokasi peluncuran roket pendorong satelit di Pulau Biak, Papua.

Pulau Biak dipilih karena sangat strategis sebagai lokasi peluncuran satelit, kata Sekretaris Utama LAPAN, DR. Bambang Koesoemanto usai seminar Diseminasi Perkembangan Roket dan Satelit di Indonesia di kantor LAPAN, Jakarta, Rabu.

Secara teritorial, kata Bambang, Pulau Biak berhadapan langsung dengan samudera luas sehingga proses peluncuran roket yang akan dilakukan diperkirakan tidak akan mengganggu negara lain.

Jika roket pendorong satelit itu diluncurkan, serpihan atau benda-benda yang jatuh dari dari proses peluncuran itu akan jatuh ke laut, tidak mengenai negara lain, termasuk wilayah Indonesia.

Selain itu, Pulau Biak juga terletak di di area ekuatorial sehingga dorongan roket peluncur satelit lebih kuat dan mampu mengantar alat pemantauan di angkasa ke antariksa.

Bambang menyatakan pihaknya telah mengajukan rencana pendirian space port atau lokasi peluncuran roket pendorong satelit di Pulau Biak itu ke DPR yang ternyata memberikan dukungannya.

"DPR mendukung rencana (pembuatan space port di Biak) itu," katanya.

Meski demikian, menurut Deputi Teknologi Dirgantara LAPAN, Dr. Ing. Soewarto Harhienata, program itu belum dapat direalisasikan saat ini karena masih banyak hal yang perlu disiapkan.

Di antaranya, kata dia, perlu dibuat peraturan dari pemerintah agar pendirian lokasi peluncuran roket pendorong satelit di Biak itu memiliki landasan hukum.

Selain itu, rencana tersebut perlu disosialisasikan kepada seluruh kalangan masyarakat, termasuk pemerintah daerah dan masyarakat Papua agar tidak dipolitisasi dan dipelintir dengan hal yang tidak benar.

"Masalah teknologi (dalam pembuatan lokasi itu) tidak ada masalah tapi perlu disosialisasikan," katanya.