On 20 February 2024 at 3:11 p.m., a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Telkomsat Merah Putih-2 telecommunications satellite mission to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Following stage separation, Falcon 9's first stage booster landed on the Just Read The Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

This was the 17th launch of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-22, Crew-3, Turksat 5B, Crew-4, CRS-25, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13G, mPOWER-a, PSN SATRIA, and eight Starlink missions.

Cape Canaveral, Florida, February 21, 2024 – Merah Putih-2 telecommunications satellite, formerly named Telkomsat HTS 113BT, was successfully launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Designed to strengthen connectivity infrastructure throughout Indonesia, Merah Putih-2 aims to enhance digital businesses by offering superior quality of service to the Indonesian society. Based on Thales Alenia Space's historical Spacebus 4000B2 platform, Merah Putih-2, named after Indonesia’s flag colors, will contribute to bridging the digital divide across the archipelago by providing a capacity exceeding 32 gigabit per second.

The contract to build the High Throughput Satellite was signed in 2021 between Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), and the leading satellite service provider in Indonesia, PT Telkom Satelit Indonesia (Telkomsat) as subsidiary of PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (Telkom) a state-owned digital telecommunication company.

Thales Alenia Space spearheaded the program as the prime contractor, overseeing the satellite's design, construction, testing, and on-ground delivery. In addition, the company furnished the ground control segment and conducted comprehensive theoretical and hands-on training sessions for Telkomsat engineers, held in both France and Indonesia, aimed at preparing them for the satellite operations. Thales Alenia Space is also in charge of the early orbital positioning phase (LEOP), in-orbit tests (IOT) and will provide in-orbit support all along the satellite lifetime.

With a launch mass of 4 tons, Merah Putih-2 will operate in C-band/Ku-Band and be positioned in orbit at 113° East for a design life of 15 years.

“It is a source of pride to witness the successful launch of Merah Putih-2, a mission that will provide better quality of telecommunications services in Indonesia.” said Marc- Henri Serre, Thales Alenia Space Executive Vice President, Telecommunications. “This program was developed through our productive collaboration with Indonesian stakeholders, following the construction of Palapa-D, Telkom-3S, Telkom 3 payload, and SATRIA satellites, all of which are instrumental in bridging Indonesia's digital divide."