Bangabandhu-2 will have 3 satellites together for crop and ocean monitoring
France has signed a Memorandum of Understanding-MoU for cooperation with the Bangabandhu-2 Earth Observation Satellite System. The MoU was signed between Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL) and France's Air Bus Defense SAS in the Corobi Hall of the Prime Minister's Office on Monday. The BSCL Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood and Air Bus Defense SAS Chairman and CEO Philip Baptiste exchanged MoUs.
MoU Signed between BSCL and Air Bus Defense SAS
Regarding this LOI, Bangladesh Satellite Company (BSCL) Chairman Shajahan Mahmud said that Bangabandhu-2 will be a satellite of LEO (Low Earth Orbit) nature. It will have 3 satellites together. Its function will be to monitor the condition of the sea and crops. According to the LOI, the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus will cooperate in the manufacture and launch of the Airbus Bangabandhu-2 satellite as well as the establishment of a micro-satellite manufacturing plant in the country. Airbus initially offered a technical proposal for this. Soon they will make a financial offer.
At the same time, the agreement was signed between Bangladesh's Economic Relations Department (ERD) and France's France Development Agency (AFD).
The signing ceremony was held in front of French President Emmanuel Macron and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Later, the two leaders held a bilateral meeting. Foreign Minister Abul Kalam Abdul Momen, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mostafa Jabbar, Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam were present in the meeting. Also on the opposite side, French government special envoy Pascal Lamy, France's ambassador to Bangladesh Marie Masdupoui and others were present with Macron.
At the time, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that, this friendly bond started by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and in 1972 had reached a new level. Today is a historic day in the bilateral relationship between France and Bangladesh, which has been evolving for more than five decades.
On the other hand, Macron said, "France played a role behind Bangladesh's first satellite. You can trust France in the energy and military sectors as well as culture, education and heritage. Thank you very much."
French space technology firm Thalos is already working on installing a radar system at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, AFP reported. The same company built Bangabandhu Satellite-1, Bangladesh's first satellite launched in 2018.
During Sheikh Hasina's visit to France in 2021, the two countries signed a letter of intent on defense cooperation. This time, the agreement was signed on the purchase of the second satellite France.
Meanwhile, the government is also trying to buy 10 aircraft from French Airbus for Bangladesh Biman to divest their US Boeing aircraft fleet.
