The Bangabandhu 1 satellite is the first geostationary communications satellite of Bangladesh. Image courtesy of Thales Group.
Thales Alenia Space is the prime contractor for providing design, manufacturing and testing services for the BD-1 satellite.The satellite will support direct-to-home (DTH) and VSAT applications in Bangladesh and neighbouring countries. Image courtesy of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
The Bangabandhu 1 satellite is the first geostationary communications satellite of Bangladesh. Image courtesy of Thales Group.
The Bangabandhu 1 (BD-1) satellite, the first geostationary communications satellite of Bangladesh, is currently under development by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). The satellite is expected to be launched into geostationary earth orbit (GEO) in December 2017.
The satellite will be located at 119.1°E longitude orbital position and provide broadcasting and telecommunication services to rural areas in Bangladesh. It will also introduce profitable services, including direct-to-home (DTH) services.
It will offer Ku-band and C-band services across Bangladesh and its territorial waters of the Bay of Bengal, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Indonesia.
Once operational, the satellite will enable the nation to save approximately BDT1.08bn ($14m) currently being spent on satellite rents each year. BTRC also plans to launch follow-on series of BD-2 and BD-3 satellites in phases.