Russia is trying to sell one its orbital satellite positions for $36 million. One likely buyer is Bangladesh, and while the country had budgeted $28 million for the position – and signed a contract back in 2012 –  it is now seeking approval from government to pay the extra cash demanded.

The sale is being organised on behalf of Russian agency Intersputnik by a US-based business Space Partnership Int’l (SPI), and it was SPI which contracted with the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission to provide consultancy services that would lead to the establishment of the nation’s Bangabandhu satellite, the first for the country.

The snag is that Intersputnik has a deadline of this coming Dec 31^st to wrap the deal up. If this date is missed then Intersputnik says it will sell the slot to another interested party.

The slot has transmission rights to cover up to three conventionally-sized satellites. Currently Bangladesh pays out about $14 million a year on rented satellite capacity. Bangladesh is planning to launch its first satellite in 2017.

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