Not long after midnight on 7 August, a Falcon 9 rocket propelled Merah Putih from Cape Canaveral, Florida along the first leg of a lofty journey. Merah Putih—a name signifying the colors of Indonesia’s flag, red and white—is a communications satellite with new advanced features that will improve data rates in high-density locations without sacrificing the wide coverage satellites excel at providing.

The satellite, which was constructed for state-owned operator Telkom Indonesia, is the second of three communication satellites launched this summer by SSL, a spacecraft manufacturing company based in Palo Alto, California. Each satellite features advances in design, construction, and, perhaps most importantly, communications technology. That doesn’t mean the satellites are identical, however—each one’s components will help it complete specific operations.

“It’s really rare for us to build the exact same satellite twice, even for the same customer,” says Rob Schwarz, SSL’s acting CTO. While the three satellites launching this summer are all based on the company’s proven SSL 1300 model, each one will be slightly different due to the type of coverage it will provide, the location it will operate in, and other factors.