Dhaka, May 10: Bangabandhu-I, Bangladesh's first ever high-orbit communications satellite, will be launched today by SpaceX. A press release issued by the company said it would be the first-ever launch using the Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket -- the last in the series of SpaceX's workhorse orbital launcher.
The satellite, Bangabandhu-I, is designed and developed by Thales Alenia Space. The satellite will usher into a new communication era in Bangladesh, the company said, adding that it would help bringing "state-of-the-art" phone, radio, TV, and internet services to the nation, inhabited by a population of over 160 million.
The live streaming of the premium satellite launch will be available live on SpaceX's YouTube channel. The same could be viewed via the embedded link attached by LatestLY below. The link will be live at 2:12 am (IST).
Watch Live Streaming of Bangabandhu-I Launch by SpaceX Below:
The satellite, apart from improving the communication services in Bangladesh, will also aid neighbouring Nepal, Myanmar and Bhutan.
While the first-ever communication satellite of Bangladesh remains an intriguing aspect, observers are also keen to watch out the 23-story rocket, which is the "the final version" of Falcon 9. SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the launcher is "most powerful" and features the most "reusable design to date".
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 11, 2018 12:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).