Launch of Bangabandhu satellite now on May 07
FE Report | Thursday, 26 April 2018
The country's first space satellite Bangabandhu-1 is now expected to be launched on May 07, missing the May 04 deadline.
Telecom and ICT Minister Mustafa Jabbar announced the new date at a roundtable discussion held at Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in the capital.
"The revised date for launching the Bangabandhu Satellite-1 is now May 07", Jabbar said at the meeting.
"The date has been rescheduled due to weather and technical issues like necessary testing process", Project Director of Bangabandhu-1 Satellite Project Mohammad Mesbahuzzaman told FE.
The launching schedule of the country's lone satellite has faced several delays.
The Bangabandhu Satellite with a capacity of 1,600 megahertz will have 40 transponders and the physical equipment of the space capsule that measures the capacity.
On October 21, 2015, the cabinet purchase committee approved the project to buy the satellite system.
Later, the BTRC signed a Tk 20 billion (2,000 crore) deal with Thales Alenia Space to construct the first-ever satellite project.
On September 9, 2016, an agreement of 157 million Euro (equivalent to Tk 14 billion) with Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) was signed for financing the project.
Bangabandhu-I, to be launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral launching pad, would take eight days to reach its orbital slot at 119.1 degrees east. Falcon 9, one of the SpaceX's finest launch vehicles will be used for Bangabandhu-1.
Bangladesh is currently meeting its satellite connectivity demand through renting a bandwidth from foreign operators and the country has to pay US $14 million dollars a year for it.
Once the project is implemented, it will help save and earn foreign currency as the BangabandhuSattelite-1 will provide all kinds of telecommunications services, officials said.