Issues regarding defense and security are now experiencing increasingly complex developments, where the areas that are the focus of defense and security no longer include land, sea, and air, but in the current era have developed into control of outer space and space. Activities related to the control of outer space, both military, cutting-edge technology, and overall strategy are then known as “Astropolitics”.
Indonesia is one of the countries in Southeast Asia that has begun to have an interest in outer space and space studies since 1962. This is what prompted Indonesia to form an Astronautics committee on May 31, 1962, by the first minister of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Juanda who also served as Chairman of the Indonesian Aviation Council at that time, and R.J. Salatun as Secretary of the Indonesian Aviation Council. On September 22, 1962, the Republic of Indonesia then formed the Early Scientific and Military Rocket Project (PRIMA) which was affiliated with the Indonesian Air Force (AURI) and the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). In addition, Indonesia also succeeded in making and launching two Kartika series rockets and their telematri series. On November 27, 1963, Indonesia then formed the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (LAPAN) which was formed according to Presidential Decree Number 236 of 1963. The establishment of LAPAN aims to develop aerospace technology that focuses on ‘Sonda’ booster rockets, satellites, transport aircraft, unmanned surveillance aircraft (LAPAN Surveillance UAV), and LAPAN Surveillance Aircraft (LSA). Indonesia has also carried out several international collaborations related to the space sector, including in 2005 Indonesia signed the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) agreement. This APSCO cooperation was officially signed by 8 countries, namely China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, and Thailand. On October 2, 2013, Indonesia and China signed an agreement on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes. The forms of cooperation include satellite research and development cooperation, satellite launch provision cooperation, remote sensing cooperation, space science and technology training cooperation and others. This is done because based on the geographical, geostrategic and geopolitical position owned by Indonesia, the need to protect and defend interests in the land, sea and airspace above Indonesia is an important thing to do (Utami, 2019).
The development of astropolitical studies in Indonesia has undergone increasingly visible changes, where Indonesia is also carrying out various collaborations and developing space-related technology. In March 2022, the National Research and Innovation Agency also formed the Indonesian Space Agency (INASA) secretariat which was previously under LAPAN. The purpose of establishing INASA is to carry out several international obligations, including registering Indonesian space objects. In 2022, Indonesia is also implementing an astropolitical diplomacy program by collaborating with European Union (EU) countries in EU Copernicus. In this regard, President Joko Widodo conveyed in his state address that Indonesia will begin to focus on the astropolitical and space aspects by emphasizing research and development of experimental satellites that function for the use and utilization of communication satellites, remote sensing satellites, and satellites that function to manage and monitor orbits within the scope of security and defense of Indonesian satellite orbits in space. However, the fact is that when talking about the significant development of astropolitics, Indonesia has always only been rotating in the same cycle. This can be proven by the legal basis used to develop technology and research related to astropolitics which is still based on the 1998 Aerospace Congress and the law related to the division of the air force in 2002. Another obstacle, which is also felt in research related to astropolitical studies in Indonesia, is that Indonesia still cannot see the study based on the study of “space”, this is what makes Indonesian astropolitics unable to develop further, even far behind compared to India. Apart from since the first president of Indonesia, namely Ir. Soekarno had actually become one of the pioneers of the progress of astropolitical development at that time by emphasizing the existence of a space revolution and research related to space technology was then developed, but after that Indonesia experienced a very long period of stagnation until now.
