Bangabandhu Satellite-1

Bangabandhu Satellite-1 Bangladesh launched the first geostationary communication and broadcasting satellite on 12 May 2018 from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 in Florida, the USA using SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 Rocket. Bangladesh is the 57 country to place a satellite in space. The satellite is named Bangabandhu-1 after the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the father of the Nation. The satellite is located close to geostationary orbit at 35,78.1 km in altitude directly above the equator and 119°09'E longitude. The orbital speed and period are fixed to match the earth's rotational period. The satellite appears motionless from the earth in a fixed position in the sky, so that the ground antenna can be permanently fixed, directed toward the satellite. The satellite is powered by two deployable solar arrays and a battery. Thales Alenia Space, a Franco-Italian aerospace manufacturer, has designed and manufactured the satellite and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has implemented at a total projected cost of 248 million US dollars in 2015 (BDT 19.51 billion), of which US$ 188.7 million is a loan from HSBC Holdings plc.

Bangabandhu-I in Geostationary Orbit (Credit: Thales Alenia Space)

The primary ground station of the Bangabandhu-1 satellite is located in Gazipur district, and the secondary ground station is located at Betbunia in Rangamati district. The satellite carries 24 Ku and 16 C band transponders with a capacity of 1600 megahertz, and its expected lifespan is 15 years. The satellite can extend services over Bangladesh and its nearby countries, including eastern Indian states Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Bay of Bengal andbeyond.The satellite is operated by Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL), owned and managed by the Government of Bangladesh. Bangladesh will save US$ 14 million spent on satellite rent a year. BSCL is implementing projects to provide telecommunication connectivity in remote, inaccessible areas, coastal areas and islands of Bangladesh using satellite.Bangabandhu-1 satellite has an enormous opportunity to earn by providing reliable and secured services to Bangladesh and neighboring countries. [M Feroze Ahmed]