According to officials, the timely launch of Bangabandhu Satellite-2 by Bangladesh with the support of a Russian corporation has become unclear due to Western sanctions imposed in response to Russia-Ukraine conflict as Moscow invades Kiev.
The government has taken a “wait and see” approach to shooting the satellite, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict shows no signs of ending soon. Authorities have ordered them to wait and assess the situation, he said.
In February of this year, the BSCL and Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned space agency Roscosmos, agreed to collaborate on the development and launch of Bangladesh’s second satellite.
Shahjahan Mahmood told TBS that no progress has been made since the deal was signed, and a number of BSCL executives claimed the project will not move forward until Western sanctions are repealed. Satellites require special chips to assemble and launch. The sanctions prevent Moscow from importing the chips. Furthermore, there are restrictions on worldwide financial interactions with Moscow, extending Russia’s isolation on Earth into space.
Bangladesh’s deal with Russia includes creating satellite ground stations for obtaining earth observation data, commercial orbital flights, and consultations in addition to manufacturing and deploying the satellite into orbit.
The satellite’s primary mission will be to observe various sections of the country from orbit. Bangladesh, according to officials, requires the satellite because it has recently regained a large area of the Bay that requires surveillance.
They also stated that the satellite will aid in better flood forecasting and data collection for agriculture. The second satellite is expected to cost Tk3,707 crore, according to the BSCL. Bangladesh launched Bangabandhu Satellite-1 in 2018 with the help of Thales Alenia Space, a European aerospace company. The satellite’s development and launch cost the nation roughly Tk3,000 crore.
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