France congratulates Bangladesh on satellite launch

France on Sunday greeted Bangladesh government and people for successful launch of satellite Bangabanhdu-1 from Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, USA in the early hours of Saturday.

"We congratulate the government and people of Bangladesh for entering a new era as underlined by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It is an important step forward in the country's digital advancement," a French embassy statement said on Sunday.

The embassy issued the statement a day after the successful launching of the satellite. Bangladesh is the 57th nation in the world and the fourth in South Asia to own a communication satellite.

The statement said the satellite would open up a wide range of opportunities for Bangladesh among which broadcasting services, weather forecasting services and high-speed internet connectivity in hard-to-reach areas.

The government of France has supported the satellite Bangabandhu-1 project from its inception.

The France government thanked the French company Thales Alenia Space, designer and manufacturer of the satellite, as well as the US launching company Space X, for their full success in its realization and launch.

It said initial connections have already been established with the Gazipur and Rangamati ground stations, while the satellite Bangabandhu is running its smooth sailing towards its orbit.

"We express our heartiest appreciation to all the partners and actors of this spatial endeavor," added the release.

Source: BSS