Govt signs cooperation deal with Russia's Glavkosmos to launch Bangabandhu Satellite-2

Bangladesh Satellite Company Ltd (BSCL) today signed a cooperation contract with the Russian company Glavkosmos with the aim of launching Bangabandhu satellite-2 within December 2023.

Following the contract termed as Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC), both the parties will work on detailed technical and financial issues regarding construction and launch of the satellite, said BSCL Managing Director Md Shafiqul Islam.

"This will convert into an agreement after due diligence of financial, technical and legal aspects," he said.

Glavkosmos is a subsidiary of the State Space Corporation Roscosmos of Russia.

BSCL Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Shahjahan Mahmood and Glavkosmos JSC Dmitry Loskutov and signed the memorandum on behalf of respective parties.

Post and Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar and Alexander Vikentyevich MANTYTSKIY, ambassador of the Russian Federation to Bangladesh, were present at the event.

The parties express their intentions to establish partnership relations to develop long-term, effective and mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of promotion of products and services of the Russian space industry, said Glavkosmos in a press statement on its website.

This includes manufacturing and launch of Bangabandhu Satellite-2 Earth observation satellite system, manufacturing of 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, it added.

The MoC comes into effect from the moment of signing and will be valid until December 31, 2026.

The move comes nearly four years after the BSCL launched Bangabandhu Satellite-1, Bangladesh's first geostationary communication satellite, for the expansion of internet and telecommunication services in remote areas under a Tk 2,765 crore project.

Located 36,000 kilometres away from Earth, the satellite is equipped with 40 transponders. It provides services to Bangladesh and South Asian countries along with Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkestan and a part of Kazakhstan.

The National Board of Revenue recently offered the 5-year break to the BSCL from income generated by Bangabandhu Satellite-1, launched in May 2018.

Shafiqul said the BSCL targets to launch the Bangabandhu Satellite-2 within December 2023 to fulfil its election manifesto.