Bangabandhu satellite launch deferred to May 7

The launch of Bangladesh’s first commercial satellite, Bangabandhu-1, has been deferred.

A scheduled launch of May 4 (USA time) has been deferred to May 7 for weather reasons, Mustafa Jabbar, ICT minister, told reporters at a programme today.

He was talking at a discussion programme of Telecom Reporters’ Network at the office of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) this afternoon.

Thales manufactured the 3.7 tonnes satellite a few months ago and kept it in a warehouse in Cannes. It will be launched from Florida. A new rocket would carry the satellite into space.

In November 2015, the BTRC signed a $248-million deal with Thales Alenia Space to manufacture and launch the satellite.

The satellite would be launched into a slot bought from Russian satellite company "Intersputnik" for $28 million in January 2015.

Bangladesh will be the 57th country in space. To celebrate the historical achievement, the government has made a massive preparation and will have fireworks on May 5 evening across the country.