It is a very historical and exciting moment for the entire nation of Bangladesh to watch its very first satellite, Bangabandhu – 1 taking off for Space successfully. The Bangabandhu Satellite-1 is the 1st Bangladeshi geostationary communications and broadcasting satellite. It was designed and manufactured by Thales Alenia Space and launched on 11 May 2018. The satellite was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre by a US based space agency named SpaceX using Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket. The total cost of the satellite was Tk 2,765.66 crore. It is expected that the life span of the satellite to exceed 15 years. After launching the satellite, Bangladesh began to receive test signal from it on 12 May 2018. A ground station has been built in Bangladesh to control the satellite at Gazipur. A backup ground station was also built at Betbunia, Rangamati. We can get many benefits from Bangabandhu – 1 Satellite. Currently, Bangladesh meets its demand for satellite connectivity by renting bandwidth from foreign operators, which costs the country about $14 million a year. Bangabandhu-1 could save the foreign currency and its unused capacity could also be rented to other nations. The satellite is expected to improve the Direct-to-Home (D2H) service, making people’s access to worldwide TV entertainment easier. The country’s remote parts — haors, hilly parts, coastal areas and deep-sea zones — will get internet service from the satellite. It will also be helpful in distance learning and telemedicine services. It could provide the nation with dedicated emergency telecommunication services during natural disasters. We have to ensure the best use of the satellite for the welfare of the country and its people.
