Pakistan’s first satellite mission sent into space At 2:27 PM Pakistani time, Pakistan’s first satellite mission to the moon ‘iCube Qamar’ took off from China’s Hainan Space Launch Site.
There were emotional scenes at SPARCO as the SPARCO command and control center erupted into applause as Mission Key departed from Hainan.
Dr. Khurram Khurshid, a member of the Core Committee of the Institute of Space Technology, said in a conversation that Pakistan’s satellite mission will orbit the moon for 3 to 6 months.
He said that iCube Qamar was designed and developed by China and SPARCO, Pakistan will have its own satellite images of the moon for research. This is the first mission in the world to get samples from the other side of the moon. This mission will last for 53 days.
He added that the mission would involve orbiting the moon, taking off and returning while it would attempt to carry a payload of up to 2 kilograms.
On the other hand, General Manager IST Syed Samar Abbas said that these are history-making scenes, the flag of Pakistan is about to reach the orbit of the moon.
Syed Samar Abbas added that this mission will provide important information about the weather of the moon, the earth and the magnetic field.
In 2022, the Chinese National Space Agency through the Asia-Pacific Space Corporation Organization (APSCO) provided a unique opportunity for member countries to reach lunar orbit for free.
The member countries had sent their plans on the proposal of APSCO, the member countries of APSCO include Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Peru, South Korea, Thailand and Turkey.
Pakistan’s Institute of Space Technology had also submitted a proposed project, out of 8 countries, only Pakistan’s project was accepted, after two years of hard work, the satellite ‘iCube Qamar’ could be completed.