The Bangabandhu satellite -2 will be sent to space during the tenure of the current government as a back-up to Bangabandhu satellite one. A policy decision has been taken in this regard.
Post, telecommunication and information technology minister, Mustafa Jabbar, said, “The decision has been finalised, only the formalities remain.”
“For the second satellite, we are keeping plenty of things in mind because this time, it will not be used for communication only but will provide information on weather and other issues.”
Saying that for a progressing country like Bangladesh with robust economic growth, one satellite is not enough, the minister said, “We will send it during this tenure of the government and the facilities are already there, so, sending up the second one will be relatively easier.”
Relevant people say that to launch Bangabandhu-2 satellite, a separate orbital slot will not be needed. The slot used by Bangabandhu-1 (orbital slot 119.1 degree) can be used.
Bangladesh has also applied for an additional four slots to the International Telecommunication Union, ITU AT 69, 74 AND 102 degrees.
The Bangabandhu satellite, placed at 119.1 degree also covers Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Kyrgyztan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and parts of Kazakhstan. The coverage of Indonesia, Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan is stronger and therefore these countries are commercially viable.
The second satellite has been planned with the desire to give alternative support during natural disasters. There is a belief that once both are in orbit, their combined commercial value will increase.