“Contact with the satellite has been established and is being sustained,” ISS Reshetnev, which built the satellite, said in a company statement. “The satellite is oriented toward the sun. A positive energy balance is being maintained onboard. The craft’s solar panels have been opened.”

   ISS Reshetnev Director Nikolai Testoyedov said it is possible that the satellite could be used for additional tests for a new space platform that is being developed for Spacecom’s Amos-5 satellite, if PT Telkom gives permission.           

   PT Telkom invested approximately $200 million to purchase and launch the Telkom-3. The failed launch prompted Russian space agency Roscosmos to suspend all Proton-M launches until an inquiry into the anomaly is completed.