Satellite brings prestigious position for Bangladesh: PM

FT ONLINE

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said Bangladesh earned the prestigious position in the world by sending its first artificial satellite into orbit.

“We have received the highest respect of the world as an independent nation,” she said.

The Prime Minister made the remarks at an event in Dhaka on Saturday morning following the launch of the Bangabandhu satellite.

Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the National Institute for Higher Education and Research in Nursing during the programme marking International Nurse’s Day in Mugda area of Dhaka.

“The launch has been successful. Bangladesh now has a position among the stars,” she said.

 Bangladesh is the 57th country in the world to reach orbit, she said.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina claimed that it was because of her continued rule that Bangladesh was able to launch the satellite.

“The Bangladeshi people voted for the boat symbol and brought us our independence. The Awami League was able to form a new government because the people voted for the boat symbol," she said.

The Prime Minister said that her government has worked to develop all of Bangladesh.

"It was because of this work that we have been able to reach space. The satellite will not only be used for entertainment,” she added.

“We will use it in many ways. We can use it for education, entertainment, medical care and even to gather information on natural disasters,” she said.

“The satellite will allow us to provide service part of Bangladesh … including the remote hills and islands,” Hasina said.

“Now we can also use our foothold in space to earn foreign currency by renting part of it to other countries,” the Prime Minister said.

US-based aerospace company SpaceX successfully launched the Bangabandhu-1 satellite into orbit from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre in the early hours of Saturday (Bangladesh time).

The words ‘Bangabandhu’ and ‘Bangladesh’ are inscribed on the Bangbandhu-1 satellite, which also carries a monogram of the Bangladeshi government on its side.

Bangladesh pays approximately $14 million each year to rent foreign satellites for broadcasting and natural disaster research.

The government says the Bangabandhu satellite has 40 transponders, 20 of which have been reserved for Bangladesh while the remaining 20 will be rented out to earn foreign reserves.

Specialists believe Bangladesh can earn nearly Tk 50 million renting these transponders to Nepal, Myanmar and Bhutan.