US launching firm Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) has fixed May 10 for launching Bangladesh’s first ever satellite Bangabandhu-1. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on Monday confirmed the new date for launching country’s first satellite.
The country’s first geostationary communications satellite will be launched by Falcon 9 rocket of US launching firm Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) from Cape Canaveral launching pad of Florida.
Initially, the launch was scheduled for Victory Day 2017. However, it was postponed till March after Hurricane Irma and subsequent floods hit Florida.
Earlier it was thought that the satellite will be launched next month as the test results were not received from the SpaceX authorities since it was analyzing the data.
French company Thales Alenia Space, designer and maker of Bangabandhu-1, has already carried out several test runs. It is now waiting to hand over the satellite to the launching station in Florida, US.
Bangabandhu-1, to be launched from Florida’s Space X launch pad, would take eight days to reach its orbital slot at 119.1 degrees East.
The satellite would immensely contribute to the digital advancement of the country and will be a game changer in rescue operations after natural disasters.
Bangabandhu-1 will have 40 transponders and three of them would be used for broadcasting TV channels.