The government has initiated plans to launch the country’s second satellite about three years after the first reached orbit.
Bangabandhu-2 is expected to launch in 2023, according to government sources.
Unlike Bangabandhu-1, which was a communications satellite, Bangabandhu-2 will be a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observation satellite. As a result, it will be tailored towards environmental monitoring, meteorology, cartography, and defence purposes.
Officials at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications said it is planned for the new satellite to be used to monitor the vast maritime territories of Bangladesh and surrounding countries, as well as the country’s land borders with India and Myanmar.
LEO satellites typically orbit at a height of 500-800km.
Direct access to data, protection from disasters
Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar told the Dhaka Tribune the country is currently paying for data from other observatory satellites, but this cannot go on for long due to concerns over data security.
“We want absolute and direct access to the data and security for our country’s maritime boundaries, maritime resources under the deep sea, and border territories. Other data can be collected for defence as well. We cannot rely on other countries for this data, and that’s why this satellite is very important for Bangladesh,” he said.
The satellite can also be useful to predict and prepare for flash floods, as water rushes to the rivers in the northern and north-eastern transboundary hills of Bangladesh from adjacent hills in India in the pre-monsoon season, between April and May.
In addition, a large area of crop fields across the country can be monitored with the satellite, to protect growing crops from insects such as locusts.
Contract and Costs
Recently, Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited and Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of the Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos, signed a memorandum of cooperation on the manufacturing and launching of the Bangabandhu-2 Earth observation satellite system.
The MOC includes manufacturing and launching of the satellite, manufacturing ground infrastructure (satellite ground stations) for acquiring Earth observation data from the Russian and foreign spacecraft, launch services, educational programs in space domains, commercial orbital flights, and consulting services.
Responding to a question on commercial use of the new satellite, BSCL Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood, said: “Other countries can buy data, images, and footage from our satellite, and private companies can purchase it too.”
Citing consultancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), which conducted feasibility studies for the second satellite, the BSCL chairman said there is significant demand for such data in domestic and international markets.
“Our consultancy firm proposed a set of 15 small satellites, but we are planning to purchase a set of six big satellites, which is more expensive than what they had proposed,” he added.
According to media reports, Bangladesh has signed a $435 million agreement with the Russian company, whereas the consultant had recommended $273-333 million.
“The price is not fixed yet because $435 million is the indicated price. Hopefully, this satellite will cost around Tk3,000 crore and can be used for about a decade. We are going to launch this satellite by 2023, before the next national election, as it was mentioned in the election manifesto of the Awami League,” said Shahjahan.
Will the Ukraine crisis affect the plan with Russia?
Some experts and media reports claim it will take years for Russia to send any satellite into space as the country imports satellite chips from US manufacturers, and the US has sanctioned Russia over the Ukraine crisis. However, the post and telecommunications minister dismissed these concerns.
Mustafa Jabbar told this newspaper: “Russia has enough experience and skills in satellite manufacturing to complete the project. Those who are spreading this information about the chips do not want us to continue this deal with Russia.
“We are giving our best effort to send this satellite in space within the fastest time but the process is highly dependent on technology, so it may take time to complete the whole process,” he added.
On Thursday, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters Bangladesh would pursue alternative channels, such as currency swaps, if there are any problems trading with Russia.
“We don’t think the war will be long. If so, we will then think of alternative arrangements,” he told reporters after the two consecutive meetings of cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) and cabinet committee on public purchase (CCPP) on Thursday.
How beneficial has the first satellite been?
Bangabandhu-1, the first satellite of Bangladesh, was launched into orbit on May 12, 2018, and went into trial transmission on September 4 the same year.
Bangabandhu-1 began commercial operations in May 2019 and earns Tk10-11 crore each month from agreements to rent transponders of the satellite to local TV channels. Although the income is sufficient to maintain the satellite and operate the BSCL office, it had been expected to be more profitable.
The main reason the satellite has failed to earn more is it is yet to attract foreign buyers, as the international satellite bandwidth market is extremely competitive. However, BSCL is still trying to convince buyers in the Philippines, Nepal, and other nearby countries, according to officials.
“We are also speaking to private banks about using our satellite to operate their ATM booths. The banks appeared to react positively and the contract would give our income a boost,” Dr Shahjahan Mahmood said.
Apart from providing services to local television channels, BCSCL also has a contract with Akash DTH and can set up 112 internet connections on 31 remote islands of Bangladesh, where there are no optical fiber cables, according to officials.
Minister Jabbar said: “Recently, the government was able to launch a move to close foreign TV channels' advertisements in Bangladesh because of our satellite. Now, foreign TV channels only provide clean feeds because our local TV channels are broadcasting through our satellite.”
He added that launching the country’s own satellites were a crucial part of preventing dependence on other countries.
