Betbunia Satellite Ground Station
| Location(s) | Rangamati District, Chittagong Division, Bangladesh |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 22°32′54.51″N 91°59′42.22″E / 22.5484750°N 91.9950611°E |
| Built | June 14, 1975 |
| Diameter | 30 m (98 ft 5 in) |
Location of Betbunia Satelite Earth Station | |
Betbunia Satellite Ground Station (Bengali: বেতবুনিয়া ভূ-উপগ্ৰহ কেন্দ্র) is a telecommunications satellite center established in Bangladesh in 1975. Located in Betbunia, Kowkhali Upazila, about 33 kilometres (21 mi) from the district headquarters of Rangamati, beside the Chittagong-Rangamati road, the center is Bangladesh's first ground station.[1][2] Established on 128 acres (52 ha) of land, the center maintains communication systems with satellites. Bangladesh's first telecommunications parabolic antenna was installed at this center.[3] The center is primarily used as a receiver and transmitter of telecommunications, fax, telex, and telecom information. Since 2018, it has been active as Bangladesh's first geostationary communications and broadcasting satellite's second ground control center.[4] In terms of operational scope, Betbunia is considered Bangladesh's standard 'A' type center.[5]
History
The construction of the station began on January 30, 1970. It was operational from June 14, 1975.[1] Betbunia has been connected with American artificial satellites[3] and the Intelsat satellites in the Indian Ocean region, since its inception.[6] Until the establishment of the second ground center in Talibabad on January 26, 1982,[7][8] for a long time, it was the only means of receiving and sending international calls in Bangladesh. It is used for telecommunications with Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Oman, Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and India.[9] In 1989 it was partially, and in 1998 fully equipped with new apparatus to digitalize the center by NEC.[6]
In 2016, Thales Alenia established a ground control center here for the post-launch management of Bangladesh's first satellite.[1][10] The ground control center was expanded on a 5-acre area of the main center under the name 'Secondary Satellite Ground Center'.[11] On July 31, 2018, Betbunia was added as the second or auxiliary ground center for Bangladesh's first domestically owned artificial satellite.[4] Prior to that, it began receiving experimental signals from May 12.[1]
Capacity
Betbunia has a total of 40 transponders with a vibration capacity of 1,600 megahertz.[3] Its antenna has a diameter of 30 meters (98 ft).[6] It is capable of receiving and transmitting microwave signals from a satellite located 35,900 kilometres (22,300 mi) above the Earth.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d "Country's 1st satellite ground station at Betbunia completes 48 yrs". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ^ Bashar, Shafiqul (2018-05-20). "Saga of Betbunia satellite station". The Financial Express. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ^ a b c d Biswas, Milton (2023-06-14). "বেতবুনিয়া ভূ-উপগ্রহ কেন্দ্র এবং আজকের প্রযুক্তি" [Betbunia Satellite Center and Today's Technology]. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ^ a b "Bangabandhu-I reaches orbital position". Jagonews24.com. 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ^ Mahbubul Alam (2012). "Telecommunication". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "৪৮ বছর পূর্ণ করলো বেতবুনিয়া ভূ-উপগ্রহ কেন্দ্র" [Betbunia Satellite Center completed 48 years]. Desh Rupantor (in Bengali). 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ^ Manna, Firoz (2017-09-10). "বেতবুনিয়া থেকে বঙ্গবন্ধু স্যাটেলাইট" [From Betbunia to Bangabandhu Satellite]. Daily Janakantha (in Bengali). Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ^ "২৬ জানুয়ারি: ইতিহাসে এই দিনে আলোচিত কী ঘটেছিল" [26 January: What significant events were discussed in history on this day]. Somoy TV (in Bengali). 2024-01-26. Archived from the original on 2025-03-30. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ^ "বেতবুনিয়া ভূ-উপগ্রহ কেন্দ্র". Rangamati District official info portal. Archived from the original on 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ "Govt forming a company for country's first satellite". The Daily Star. 2016-03-19. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ^ "Betbunia station ready to control Bangabandhu-1". The Financial Express. 2018-05-16. Archived from the original on 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2026-03-18.