Bangabandhu-1

Bangabandhu Satellite-1
Mission type Communications and Broadcasting Satellite
Operator Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited
COSPAR ID 2018-044A
SATCAT no. 43463Edit this on Wikidata
Website Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited, BCSCL, Bangabandhu Satellite Project
Mission duration 15 years
Spacecraft properties
Bus Spacebus-4000B2
Manufacturer Thales Alenia Space
Launch mass ~3,709 kg (8,177 lb)
Power 6kW
Start of mission
Launch date 11 May 2018, 20:14 UTC[1]
Rocket Falcon 9 Block 5[2]
Launch site Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A
Contractor SpaceX
Orbital parameters
Regime GEO
Longitude 119.09°E
Eccentricity 0.0001
Perigee 35789.3 km
Apogee 35798.5 km
Period 1,436.1 minutes
Velocity 3.07 km/s
Epoch 6 June 2018
Transponders
Band 14 C band, 26 Ku band

The Bangabandhu Satellite-1 is the first Bangladeshi geostationary communications and Broadcasting Satellite. It was manufactured by Thales Alenia Space and launched on 11 May 2018.[1] The project is being implemented by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) working hand-in-hand with US based Space Partnership International, LLC. and was the first payload launched by a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket of SpaceX.[3]

Bangladesh Government formed a Government owned Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited, BCSCL with the aim to operate the Bangabandhu Satellite-1.[4]

Bangabandhu-1 launched from Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, USA and utilizes ground control stations built by Thales Alenia Space with its partner Spectra in Betbunia, and Gazipur. The satellite is based on the highly secured and reliable Spacebus-4000B2 platform and currently located at longitude 119.09°E.

Overview

The Bangabandhu-1 satellite was initially planned to be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket on 16 December 2017, to celebrate Victory day of Bangladesh. Following the lack of firm guarantee from Arianespace for that date, BTRC chose Falcon 9 launch vehicle instead.[5] The satellite is expected to be located at the 119.1° East longitude geostationary slot. It is named after the father of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It is designed and manufactured by Thales Alenia Space and its launch provider is SpaceX. The total cost of the satellite was projected to be 248 million US dollars in 2015 (Tk 19.51 billion), financed via a $188.7 million loan from HSBC Holdings plc.[6] Bangabandhu Satellite-1 carries a total of 40 Ku-band and C-band transponders with a capacity of 1600 megahertz and a predicted life span to exceed 15 years.[7][8][9][10] The satellite will expand Ku-band coverage over all of Bangladesh and its nearby waters including the Bay of Bengal, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, East Indian states (WB,Assam,Meghalaya,Mizoram,Tripura, Nagaland,Arunachhal Pradeah)and Indonesia. This is coupled with C-band coverage for all aforementioned areas.

Map of satellite's position

Bangabandhu Satellite-1 position and its coverage area

Launch

Bangabandhu Satellite-1 launch

Bangabandhu Satellite-1 was launched at 20:14 UTC on May 11, 2018,[1] on a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle at the Kennedy Space Center.[2] It is the first payload to be launched using the new Block 5 model of the rocket.[11][12]

The satellite was originally slated to launch May 10, 2018. However, the rocket carrying the payload triggered an automatic abort as it entered internal power and control at T-58 seconds. Soon after, the rocket launch was pushed back 24 hours, and it was finally launched on May 11, 2018.[13]

Bangabandhu-1 had been previously scheduled to fly on an Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA but Ariane was unable to meet the contractual launch date, which enabled the launch to be switched to its backup launcher, SpaceX.[14]

After launching the satellite, Bangladesh began to receive test signal from it on May 12, 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.[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "SpaceX launch of first "block 5" Falcon 9 rocket scrubbed to Friday". Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 Krebs, Gunter. "Bangabandhu 1 (BD 1)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "SpaceX launches Bangabandhu-1 with most powerful Falcon 9 rocket". The Daily Star. 2018-05-13. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
  4. ↑ "Official Website of Bangabandhu Satellite -1 Operator Company : Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited, BCSCL". 3 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "How Bangladesh became SpaceX's first Block 5 Falcon 9 customer - SpaceNews.com". 9 May 2018.
  6. ↑ Mahmud, Faisal (May 12, 2018). "Bangladesh to join space age amid skepticism about costs". Nikkei Asian Review. The government borrowed 157.5 million euros ($188.7 million) from HSBC Holdings to finance the satellite.
  7. ↑ "Bangabandhu satellite deal inked with French firm". Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "Bangabandhu-satellite-equipment-purchase-deal-signed". Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  9. ↑ "BTRC-Thales Alenia deal over Bangabandhu Satellite signed". Archived from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  10. ↑ "Bangladesh Taps Thales Alenia To Build 1st Telecom Satellite". Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  11. ↑ "Příprava na Block 5 probíhá na několika místech". www.kosmonautix.cz (in Czech). 2018-03-15. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  12. ↑ "SpaceX to launch Bangabandhu-1 satellite atop Block 5, the most powerful Falcon 9 rocket to date". Pbs News Hour. 11 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "Bangabandhu-1 sucessfully launched by first Block 5 Falcon 9 – SpaceX's goal of affordable access to space – NASASpaceFlight.com". www.nasaspaceflight.com. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
  14. ↑ "How Bangladesh became SpaceX's first Block 5 Falcon 9 customer - SpaceNews.com". SpaceNews.com. 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
  15. ↑ "Bangladesh receives test signal from Bangabandhu-1 satellite". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
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