SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday, June 13th, carrying a communications satellite that will provide internet service to rural parts of Indonesia. The rocket was launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with the launch window opening at 6:04 p.m. The rocket lifted off at 6:21 p.m. after a 15-minute delay due to upper level winds. The mission, PSN SATRIA, will place the SATRIA satellite in geosynchronous orbit, meaning it will appear to remain in the same longitudinal position as Earth rotates. The satellite is part of a $550 million project supported by the Indonesian government that will see internet speeds of 150 GB per second to previously unserved parts of Indonesia. The service is reserved for health and education centers as well as public WiFi access points. The spacecraft, located in the nose of the rocket, weighs an estimated 4.6 metric tons and was built in France by Thales Alenia Space. It was delivered to Cape Canaveral in May. The first stage booster has been used on 11 previous missions, including four Starlink missions. It was recovered by a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean about eight minutes after launch. The PSN SATRIA satellite was planned to deploy at about 36 minutes after liftoff.
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