Indonesian Residents Unhappy With SpaceX Launchpad

Article by Akanksha Arora                                          March 10, 2021                                         (republicworld.com)

• Earlier in March, SpaceX launched a second Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It was the 6th launch toward completing the ‘Starlink’ mission of a constellation of thousands of small internet communications satellites in orbit around the planet. Musk claims that internet service will improve from here, and officials at launch sites in the United States are content with SpaceX’s progress.

• People living on Papuan Island in Indonesia aren’t so happy. Indonesia has offered Papuan Island to Elon Musk for the launch of his SpaceX project. Indonesia’s coordinating minister for maritime and investment affairs said that Musk and the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, had discussed the plans in December, and that Musk sent a team to Papuan Island in January to look at the potential investment.

• Papuans deny the Indonesian government’s claim that the local Papuan government was consulted about the planned launch facility. The tribal chief of Papuan Island, Manfun Sroyer, said that he fears that Papuan residents will be forced from their homes, and that the spaceport would encroach upon traditional hunting grounds. Papuan residents deny that the SpaceX launch facility would bring a positive economic impact to the community. They say that it will lead to deforestation in the region and devastate the ecosystem. It will also increase the presence of the Indonesian military and if the people protest, they will be immediately arrested.

Indonesia has offered its Papuan island to Elon Musk for the launch of his SpaceX

project. The residents of the island do not seem to be happy about it as they have said that Musk is not welcome on their land. According to the reports by The Guardian, the residents said that Musk’s presence on the island would devastate the ecosystem and also drive people from their homes.

Residents unhappy

Papuans on Biak do not agree with the government representative who told The

Guardian that the plan was being developed after consulting the Papuan government and local communities. He also believed that this development would bring positive economic impacts. The residents, however, said that this will lead to deforestation in the region and increase the presence of the Indonesian military. According to the reports by The Business Insider, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for maritime and investment affairs said that Musk and the Indonesian president Joko Widodo had discussed the plans earlier in the month of December. Musk was planning to send a team to the island in

January to look at the potential investments.

The tribal chief of the island Manfun Sroyer said that he fears that the residents will be forced from their homes. He further added that the spaceport would cost the people their traditional hunting grounds. He also said that if people protest they will be arrested immediately.

SpaceX Rocket all set to launch

The SpaceX Rocket launch will be taking place on March 11th at 3:13 AM EST. This is the second rocket they are sending for the Starlink Launch this month and the 6th in total for the Starlink mission. The launch will be taking place in their Falcon 9 Rockets from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. SpaceX Launch for Starlink is being highly anticipated by everyone.

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