In the drive towards a “Digital Bangladesh” the country launched its first geostationary communications satellite, Bangabandhu Satellite-1, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 11 May 2018 at 4:14 p.m. from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Bangabandhu means “Friend of Bengal” in Bangladesh, and is the popular name for the first president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was also instrumental in fighting for the country’s independence from Pakistan. In this series of images, shock waves form around the vehicle as it transits simultaneously through the sound barrier and a layer of moist air.

View my Bangabandhu Satellite-1 launch gallery.