SpaceX Successfully Launches Nusantara Lima Satellite After Delays

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—SpaceX successfully launched the Nusantara Lima satellite late Thursday after three days of weather and technical delays. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 9:56 p.m. EDT, deploying the satellite less than 30 minutes later into a geosynchronous transfer orbit.

This mission faced multiple challenges leading up to the launch. SpaceX had first scrubbed the liftoff on September 10 due to weather conditions. A forecast from the 45th Weather Squadron previously stated a 45 percent chance for a successful launch, with moisture lingering in the area from a weather front moving across the Deep South.

“We can expect similar conditions with periods of rain to linger in the forecast,” a weather officer noted, highlighting the adverse conditions affecting the launch window. However, the drier air improved the situation leading up to the launch.

The Nusantara Lima satellite, built by Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), is designed to enhance internet connectivity across Indonesia and surrounding regions. It has a capacity of 160 Gbps and will serve areas from Banda Aceh to Papua with its 101 Ka-band spot beams.

Using booster B1078, which completed its 23rd flight, SpaceX demonstrated its ongoing capability to reuse rocket components. Following its flight, B1078 landed successfully on the drone ship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This landing marked the 124th recovery for that vessel and the 503rd overall for SpaceX’s booster landings.

The N5 satellite, originally set to launch in 2023, experienced delays but is now projected to begin service in early 2026, reaching its operational orbit at 113 degrees East by mid-January 2026. The satellite aims to augment connectivity provided by the earlier launched Satria-1 satellite.

With this launch, SpaceX continues its mission to help bridge the digital divide in Indonesia, where many remote areas still lack reliable internet access.