Bangladesh has successfully launched their first satellite. The Bangabandhu Satellite-1, was launched from Cape Canaveral launch site on-board a SpaceX Falcon9 rocket.
This telecommunications and Broadcasting satellite is targeted to narrow the digital divide, as it will take broadcasting and telecommunication services to rural areas and introduce profitable services, including direct-to-home services, across the country and over the region.
Thales Alenia Space was in charge of the design, production, testing and the delivery in orbit of Bangabandhu Satellite-1, and also took charge of the two ground segments (Primary and Secondary), which will benefit of the SpaceOps tools for the mission planning and monitoring.
Bangabandhu Satellite-1 is fitted with 26 Ku-Band and 14 C-Band transponders. It offers capacity in the Ku-Band over Bangladesh and its territorial waters of the Bay of Bengal, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Indonesia; it also provides capacity in C-Band over the whole region. Bangabandhu Satellite-1 solution includes all necessary components to manage the customer business and to provide end-user services to network operator.
Thales Alenia Space believes that this satellite will ensure immediate generation of revenues for their customer BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission) as soon as the In Orbit Test (IOT) is completed.
Bangabandhu Satellite-1 system is specified in term of end-user service utilization and performances to provide:
- Direct To Home (DTH): service consisting of multiplexed digital television, radio and associated data direct to very small antennas.
- Video Distribution: multiplexed digital television, radio and associated data services to medium-sized antennas
- VSAT Private Networks: shall support private networks consisting of voice, data, video and Internet services, to banks, gas stations, etc. with medium-sized antennas.
- Broadband: service that allows the end-user (individual, organization, corporation or Government) to remotely access the Internet at high speed with high quality of service.
- Communications Trunks: wide band high data rate point-to-point services
