Why in News
When a Chinese rocket malfunctioned shortly after launch in April 2020, destroying Indonesia’s $220 million Nusantara-2 satellite, it was a blow to the archipelago’s efforts to strengthen its communication networks.
Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, seized on the failure to become Jakarta’s company of choice for putting satellites into space.
Thus he managed to prevail over the Chinese state-owned China Great Wall Industry Corp. (CGWIC) which is known to make offers that are difficult to refuse.
Nusantara 2
Nusantara-2 was the second satellite launch awarded by Indonesia to CGWIC, matching the two carried out by SpaceX at that time.
Since its failure, SpaceX has launched two Indonesian satellites with a third in the works. China has handled none.
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