The launch of Bangabandhu Satellite-1 Mission that would propel Bangladesh in the select community of nations having their own satellites has been scheduled for Friday (wee hours of Saturday local Bangladesh time).
The satellite was scheduled to be launched Thursday afternoon by Space Exploration Technologies Corp or SpaceX, the private US aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company. The launch was aborted a minute before take-off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
“Standing down today due to a standard ground system auto abort at T-1 min,” Space X said on Twitter soon thereafter. “Rocket and payload are in good health—teams are working towards tomorrow’s backup launch opportunity at 4:14 p.m. EDT, or 20:14 UTC,” the California-based company said.
For local Bangladesh time, it is 2.14 a.m. Saturday.
On Friday the new launch window opens at 4:14 p.m. and closes at 8:14 p.m. A backup launch opportunity is available on Saturday, May 12 from 2:21 p.m. EDT, to 6:21 p.m. EDT. Bangabandhu Satellite-1 will be deployed into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) approximately 33 minutes after launch, it said.
According to Space X, the Bangabandhu Satellite-1 mission will be the first to utilize Falcon 9 Block 5, the final substantial upgrade to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle.
Falcon 9 Block 5 is designed to be capable of 10 or more flights with very limited refurbishment as SpaceX continues to strive for rapid reusability and extremely high reliability. Following stage separation, SpaceX will attempt to land Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone-ship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Two hours before the scheduled launch n Thursday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told reporters that he was anxious as there were so many things that could go wrong. “I am stressed. Any good wishes would be appreciated,” he said.
Bangladesh’s first geostationary communications satellite, development of the satellite program, known as the “Bangabandhu Satellite Launching Project,” was managed by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) with technical support from Space Partnership International (SPI).
The satellite, which is comprised of 26 Ku-band and 14 C-band transponders, was manufactured by Thales Alenia Space on the Spacebus 4000B2 platform and will be operated by the Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited (BCSCL).
Bangabandhu Satellite-1 has a primary service area encompassing Bangladesh and the surrounding region. The satellite will offer Ku-band coverage over Bangladesh and its territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal, as well as India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Indonesia. It will also provide C-band capacity for the entire region.
Located at 119.1° East, Bangabandhu Satellite-1 will provide direct-to-home (DTH) services, video distribution and very small aperture terminal (VSAT) communications across Bangladesh.
The satellite will also provide broadband connectivity to rural areas throughout the country. Bangabandhu Satellite1’s mission is expected to last at least 15 years, the company said.

Photo: Hitlar A Halim, from Orlando, Florida, USA.