SpaceX continued its busy 2025 tonight (Sept. 11), sending a satellite high above Earth for an Indonesian telecom company.
A SpaceX drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas," which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen in silhouette, backlit by the lights on the ocean-based droneship that supported its landing on Sept. 11, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX)It was the 23rd launch and landing for this particular booster (which is known by the designation 1078), according to a Starlink internet satellites.
Previous Booster 1078 launches
Bluebird 1-5 | 18 Starlink missions
The Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, continued carrying Nusantara Lima skyward. The satellite was deployed into geosynchronous transfer orbit on schedule, 27.5 minutes after liftoff.
The satellite, which was built by Boeing, will set up shop in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), 22,236 miles (35,785 kilometers) above Earth. Orbital speed matches Earth's rotational speed at that altitude, allowing spacecraft to "hover" over one patch of the planet. GEO is therefore a popular orbit for communications, weather and reconnaissance spacecraft.
Nusantara Lima is expected to start work in 2026 after completing a series of checkouts. PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), Indonesia's first satellite-based private telecom company, will use the spacecraft to beam service to customers across Indonesia's 17,000 islands, as well as in neighboring countries.