Bangladesh's first ocean satellite ground station set to launch in June

Construction of the country’s first ocean satellite ground station has been completed. Those involved with the project are hopeful that trial operations of the station, built on the Chittagong University campus, can begin in June.

The project, which started on 26 March last year, has cost around 700 million taka. Of this, about 500 million taka in technical assistance was provided by China’s Second Institute of Oceanography. The remaining 200 million taka was provided by the Chittagong University authorities.

The ground station, which has a storage capacity of about 420 terabytes, requires some operational work before it can be fully launched. The station aims to connect with 11 satellites, of which partial connections have already been established with around seven. High-quality data is being received from several Chinese satellites. At the same time, data is also being collected from Japanese satellites and those of NASA.

Alongside determining which types of data from which satellites will be most effective to collect, work is currently underway to develop specialised software for data analysis. Trial operations of the station will begin when a Chinese delegation visits in June.

Persons related to the project have stated that the ground station will connect to 11 satellites. Once operational, it will enable rapid access to various types of environmental data, including weather changes, cyclone forecasting, river erosion, and deforestation.

Currently, Bangladesh depends on the United States and India for cyclone and storm surge forecasts. With the launch of this ground station, that dependence will decrease, and the time required to collect data will be reduced from 20-30 hours to just 15-20 minutes. As a result, cyclone tracking, coastal flood modeling, and weather and climate change analysis will be possible much more quickly. In addition, it will help identify potential fishing zones in the Bay of Bengal, supporting sustainable fisheries management and contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG-14).

The project is being coordinated by Professor Mohammad Moslem Uddin of the Department of Oceanography at Chittagong University. He said, “The main goal of the project is not commercial; rather, it aims to promote research and education. Students and researchers will be able to submit research proposals according to specific guidelines and collect necessary data from the station, which will help increase academic publications.”
Professor Moslem Uddin added, “This is only a downlink station. It receives data but does not transmit it. Therefore, there is no reason for additional concern. China’s involvement should be seen as part of technical support and international cooperation.”

The initiative has been undertaken in alignment with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. A memorandum of understanding between Chittagong University and China’s Second Institute of Oceanography for the construction of the station was signed in December 2024. Former Vice-Chancellor Professor Muhammad Yahya Akhtar inaugurated the construction work.

On 21 February this year, the Chittagong University Syndicate approved the ground station as an independent center named the “Satellite Ocean Observation and Data Innovation Center.” Professor Moslem Uddin was appointed as its director.

To keep the project operational, the university authorities plan to sign memorandums of understanding with various institutions so that expenses for computers, internet, and electricity can be shared. This will reduce the operational cost burden on the university.

Regarding the progress of the ocean satellite ground station, Chittagong University Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Al-Forkan told Prothom Alo that the project work is nearly complete. The station may begin trial operations between June 7 and 9. There are also plans to make the station more effective.