Bangabandhu Satellite Project

[Bilal9]

Bangladesh is already using Satellite technology for flood predictions....

March 9, 2015
Bangladesh Announces Nationwide Use of SERVIR Satellite-based Flood Forecasting and Warning System

Bangladesh officials have announced plans to expand a satellite-based flood forecasting and warning system developed by SERVIR to aid an area where floodwaters inundate from 1/3 to 2/3 of the country annually, killing hundreds of people and affecting millions. The system, which relies on river level data provided by the Jason-2 satellite, last year provided the longest lead time for flood warnings ever produced in Bangladesh.

SERVIR is a joint development initiative of NASA and USAID, working in partnership with leading regional organizations around the globe to help developing countries use information provided by Earth Observing satellites and geospatial technologies for managing climate risks and land use. SERVIR and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development based in Kathmandu, Nepal, developed the Jason-2 based flood forecasting and warning solution.

"Forecasters have the dream to extend lead time for flood warnings," said Amirul Hossain, executive engineer for the Bangladesh Water Development Board. "By using Jason-2 near real-time data, we made a real step forward in the flood forecasting system in Bangladesh."

About 80 million people depend on the BWDB Flood Forecasting and Warning Center flood warnings. This organization has progressively built and expanded its flood forecasting system. However, without data from Jason-2, warnings were issued just three to five days in advance of flooding. During the 2014 monsoon season, the FFWC used the new Jason-2 solution experimentally and was able to forecast flooding eight days in advance at nine locations of the Ganges and Brahmaputra River Basins in the north, northwest, and central part of the country.

SERVIR Applied Sciences Team member Faisal Hossain developed the new system. Hossain and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development trained FFWC officials to use it.

FFWC quickly mastered use of the system and became completely independent in using the satellite technology and processing tools, generating warnings at several locations inside Bangladesh.

Jason-2's radar altimeter measures the precise distance between the satellite and the river surface at points where the satellite crosses overhead. The data, available almost immediately, reveals the river's height at the point of crossing, so flood risks downstream can be assessed.

Based on the new solution’s successes, FFWC officials announced their intention to expand Jason-2 based forecasting system nation-wide in Bangladesh for 2015.

"We hope this is the beginning of a new journey, a new era for further development of the flood early warning system using space data or space technology,” said Hossain. “In the coming year, with support provided by the NASA SERVIR team, we would like to expand the system to many other locations where possible, to enable more people to benefit from this system by receiving more extended lead time for flood forecasts."

The SERVIR project operates via regional "hubs" in Nairobi, Kenya; Kathmandu, Nepal; and Bangkok, Thailand. The coordination office for SERVIR is located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

For more information about SERVIR, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/servir/

https://www.servirglobal.net/

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https://servirglobal.net/Global/Art...m-member-wins-2012-charles-s-falkenberg-award

 

[ebr77]

we have decades to go before developing our own satellite program, but i hope we reach there one day,

 

[Russell]

Bangabandhu-1 satellite passes CDR stage
FE Report



Bangabandhu-1, the country's first space satellite scheduled to be launched by the year-end, passed the Critical Design Review (CDR) stage, announced Thales Alenia, the French company responsible for designing it.

In the next phase now its production will start with integration of the communications module at the Thales Alenia Space plant in Toulouse, France, and the service module in Cannes, while the mating is set for March according to a statement of Thales Alenia.

At the same time, the ground team is kicking off factory acceptance tests, and starting local work on installation of ground antennas.

Bangabandhu-1 is a turnkey satellite telecommunications system, comprising a satellite and its complete ground segment, including control, mission and user segments.

The company is also supervising building of two facilities in Bangladesh for all ground support equipment, needed to control the satellite and operate the telecom system.

Thales Alenia Space Belgium, Thales Alenia Space Italy and Thales Alenia Space Spain are involved in this project as suppliers of various ground and satellite components.

The satellite's launch is also covered by the contract, and will be done by a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

The government is targeting December 16 for launching the satellite. In November 2015, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) signed a $ 248-million deal with the Franco-Italian Aerospace manufacturer Thales Alenia Space for design, manufacturing and launching of the satellite.

Bangladesh currently meets its satellite connectivity needs by renting bandwidth from operators, which is said to cost the country almost US$ 14 million a year.

Bangabandhu-1 satellite is expected to save the money paid as transponder rental charge, and also allow the country to sell excess capacity to other countries.

With proper frequency coordination, the satellite will be able to provide services to the South Asian countries as well as a number of South-East and Central Asian countries. Launching of the satellite will also ensure uninterrupted telecommunication service in the country in case of occasional natural disasters, telecom officials said.

More than 70 countries in the world have already launched their own satellites in space. Among the South Asian countries, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have their own space satellites.

 

[Nilgiri]

The satellite's launch is also covered by the contract, and will be done by a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

Nice! Little nepotism here by forcing an Ariane launcher.

 

[Gandh brandi]

Nice! Little nepotism here by forcing an Ariane launcher.

Was it previously done by Russian rockets? Understandable since Russia vs West nowadays.

 

[Nilgiri]

Was it previously done by Russian rockets? Understandable since Russia vs West nowadays.

Thales is French and Arianespace is French (before it became "European").

SpaceX gives good bang for the buck and there is more choice now these days and pressure to stay under budget so its not like earlier when sat provider would be tied up with a launcher from same country.

 

[Michael Corleone]

doesnt make sense to me when india is planning another sattelite to be freely accessible to subcontinental countries...
bangladesh's plan is personal use and renting out to other neighbouring countries...
why would someone pay when they can use for free? -_-

 

[Nilgiri]

doesnt make sense to me when india is planning another sattelite to be freely accessible to subcontinental countries...
bangladesh's plan is personal use and renting out to other neighbouring countries...
why would someone pay when they can use for free? -_-

@damiendehorn can help explain why. Lets say BD has requirement for more capacity than what the freebie saarc sat can provide.

Its like having a real internet back in the day instead of AOL free trial discs.

 

[Abba_Dabba_Jabba]

doesnt make sense to me when india is planning another sattelite to be freely accessible to subcontinental countries...
bangladesh's plan is personal use and renting out to other neighbouring countries...
why would someone pay when they can use for free? -_-

Self reliance is always better than freebies. I say BD did good thing by having its own program, I hope they will agree to the SAARC satellite as well and enjoy the data from both sats, coz at the end of the day its the people who will be benefited.

 

[Michael Corleone]

Self reliance is always better than freebies. I say BD did good thing by having its own program, I hope they will agree to the SAARC satellite as well and enjoy the data from both sats, coz at the end of the day its the people who will be benefited.

well you've a point... after all aside from the burmese-bangladesh and india-pakistan tension... countries of this region are really friendly towards one another... so at the end the general public will benefit.

 

[damiendehorn]

@damiendehorn can help explain why. Lets say BD has requirement for more capacity than what the freebie saarc sat can provide.

Its like having a real internet back in the day instead of AOL free trial discs.

The SAARC satellite, is based on the indian I-2K bus which is roughly 2 tonnes in weight and has 12 transponders in Ku band for use by SAARC countries (or between 2-3 transponders for each nation). The Bangabandhu-1 (BD-1), built by Thales Alenia Space is based on the Spacebus 4000 bus, weighs 3.5 toones and has 14 C band transponders plus 26 Ku band transponders.

The advantages of the BD-1 is that it will be our satellite, owned by SPARRSO and under the control of BTRC. Apart from the obvious it is designed to have excess capacity to allow us to have future growth.

If we accepted the SAARC satellite proposal, then we would have very limited capacity under the control of indian ISRO.

 

[Russell]

News report in Bangla of progress - Satellite and ground station. Local officials are confident it'll be ready to go by 16th Dec this year.

 

[Russell]

Bangabandhu satellite may be ready before time

Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Bangabandhu-1 satellite is on course for its scheduled Victory Day launch, with more than two-thirds of its construction work already completed.

“About 70 percent work of the total project is done. We can finish it before the deadline,” said Shahjahan Mahmood, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

The satellite's structure is being built by a French firm -- Thales Alenia Space -- which it will deliver by November, according to the plan.

Officials related the project said the structure's construction is going on in full swing and it will be completed by October.

The frame will then be sent to the US to be launched by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), said Mahmood.

A delegation of the BTRC will fly to France on March 22 to receive the ground station equipment.

The equipment will be brought to Bangladesh in the first week of April for installing them up in two ground stations: in Gazipur and Rangamati. The ground stations are also nearing completion, said BTRC officials.

The BTRC is currently promoting the satellite programme in order to sell half its capacity.

“We are going to launch a high capacity satellite with 40 transponders and we have decided to sell half of it,” said Mahmood.

Bangabandhu-1 is expected to provide services to all South Asian countries as well as Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, if its frequency is properly coordinated, according to project documents.

Bangladesh currently meets its demand for satellite connectivity by renting bandwidth from foreign operators which costs the country about $14 million a year. Once launched, Bangabandhu-1 will save the foreign currency expenditure.

The lifespan of the satellite will be 15 years, which will allow the country to earn $1 billion by leasing out the transponders and another $1.5 billion by selling other services.

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

 

[Arthur]

PM receives replica of Bangabandhu satellite

• Senior Correspondent, bdnews24.com
  Published: 2017-04-17 12:25:39 BdST
  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been gifted a replica of the Bangabandhu – 1 satellite, which is scheduled for launch in December.
According to a statement from the Cabinet Division, the replica was given to the prime minister by Minister of State for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim just before the cabinet meeting at the Secretariat on Monday.

The Bangladesh government expects the satellite to be ready for commercial activity by April 2018.

Most of the work on the satellite was completed in France by the Thales Alenia Space facility, according to Post and Telecommunications Division officials.

On Oct 21, 2015 the Cabinet committee on government purchases approved the purchase of the satellite system to be launched by the ‘Bangabandhu satellite’.

The satellite will feature 40 transponders, half of which will be reserved for the use of Bangladesh, while the other half will be rented to raise foreign exchange reserves.

The government expects that use of the satellite can save Bangladesh up to $14 billion annually.

The 'Bangabandhu satellite' project has received the Recognition of Excellence award from the International Telecommunication Union.

http://m.bdnews24.com/en/detail/bangladesh/1320941

 

[The Ronin]

http://www.somoynews.tv/pages/details/98000