Write a paragraph on “Bangabandhu Satellite-1” answering the following questions:
- What is a satellite?
- Where was the Bangabandhu satellite designed and launched?
- What is the location of this satellite?
- What is its longevity of it?
- How will Bangladesh be benefited from this satellite?
Table of Contents
Bangabandhu Satellite-1 (Type 1)
(DIFFICULTY: Normal)
A satellite (man-made) refers to an artificial body placed in orbit round the Earth or another planet to collect information for communication. The Bangabandhu Satellite-l is the first Bangladeshi geostationary (ভূ-স্থির) communication satellite.
The satellite has been named after the father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It was designed and manufactured by Thales Alenia Space and its launch provider was SpaceX. It was launched on May 11, 2018. Its launch station was Kennedy Space. The Center on Merritt Island, Florida, USA, and the ground control stations are in Betbunia, Rangamati & Gazipur in Bangladesh.
The satellite is located at the 119.1° East longitude geostationary slot. With a total mass of 3700 kg and powered by 2 deployable solar arrays and batteries, the expected longevity ( দীর্ঘায়ু ) of the satellite is 15 years. The satellite provides Ku-band and C-band television broadcast and data relay services across Bangladesh and neighboring areas.
This satellite will bring about enormous ( বিশাল ) development and an uninterrupted telecommunication system in Bangladesh. At present, the country’s television channels have been renting bandwidth from Chinese, Indian, and Singaporean satellites at a cost of about $14 million a year.
It is expected that Bangladesh will not only save such an amount of money in the future but also would earn a lot by letting other countries lease the unused bandwidth. Besides, some other sectors like telemedicine, e-learning, video conference, defense, and disaster management system will be improved for this satellite in Bangladesh.
The launch of a satellite Bangabandhu-1 by Bangladesh brings both prospects and challenges as it is expected to help the country save foreign currency, while the challenges remain in effectively running the venture.