Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of Indonesia has signed a Preliminary Work Agreement with the consortium of Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) and Thales Alenia Space (a joint venture between Thales - 67% and Leonardo - 33%) for the US$ 550 million SATIRA satellite PPP project - Indonesia´s biggest telecommunications satellite to date. The agreement means the beginning of the activities of the broadband telecommunications satellite.

The concessionaire will be responsible for financing, design, procurement, construction, launch, operation, and maintenance of a multifunctional government satellite named SATRIA. The satellite, which will be located in the 146ºE orbital position, will provide more than 150 gigabits per second throughout the entire Indonesian territory. Dedicated to bridging the digital divide, SATRIA aims to connect around 145,000 areas, including 90,000 schools, 40,000 hospitals and public buildings, as well as regional government headquarters not connected by satellites or existing ground infrastructure. The satellite will contribute to the development of digital infrastructures in Indonesia.

The PSN consortium has formed Satelit Nusantara Tiga (SNT) to be the operating company to carry out the project. SNT's shareholders are PSN, PT Pintar Nusantara Sejahtera (Pintar), PT Nusantara Satelit Sejahtera and PT Dian Semesta Sentosa (a subsidiary of PT Dian Swastatika Sentosa Tbk). PSN and Pintar are the main shareholders of SNT and both will be main owners in the operating company for the entire life of the project.

Thales Alenia Space will deliver the Very High Throughput Satellite (VHTS) based on its all-electric Spacebus NEO platform and equipped with a fifth-generation digital processor. It will also be responsible for providing two satellite control centers (main and backup), the telecommand and telemetry stations and the mission's ground segment linked to the fully processed payload.

The satellite is expected to be operational and put in orbit by 2023. The project will be financed through export credits from China and France.