SpaceX launches Indonesian satellite into orbit

Feb. 20 (UPI) -- SpaceX on Tuesday sent a satellite into orbit that will increase access to broadband Internet in Indonesia.

The company's Falcon 9 rocket launched the Telkomsat Merah Putih 2 at 3:11 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

This was the Falcon 9 two-stage rocket's 17th flight. Its previous missions included Crew-3, Crew-4, eight Starlink missions and two Cargo Dragon spacecraft missions to the International Space Station.

The rocket's first-stage booster landed on the SpaceX droneship Just Read the Instructions about eight minutes after liftoff.

Merah Putih 2 deployed from Falcon 9's second stage at around 34 minutes from launch.

Merah Putih 2 is the second commercial satellite SpaceX launched for Indonesian satellite company Telkomsat. It arrived in Florida in late January, according to SpaceX. The company has since integrated the satellite into Falcon 9's second stage in preparation for this launch.

SpaceX previously launched the Merah Putih, which was known as Telkom-4, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket in 2018.

Telkomsat contracted Thales Alenia Space to build Merah Putih 2. The contractor said the satellite will provide Indonesians with over 32 Gbps Internet speed.