Indonesia, Russia to cooperate on rocket-launching station

JAKARTA (AP): Indonesia and Russia plan to build a satellite launching pad on a remote island in Indonesia's easternmost province, a spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yuri Thamrin said on Tuesday.

Senior officials from the two countries signed an initial agreement last week to build the launch pad on Biak Island in Papua province, said Yuri Thamrin.

The island was chosen because it is close to the equator, where rockets can take advantage of the Earth's greater rotational speed to save on fuel.

He gave no more details on the project.

Biak is off the northern coast of Papua, 3,200 kilometers northeast of Jakarta.
The province, formerly known as Irian Jaya, occupies the western half of New Guinea island.

Source:
Associate Press