Pakistan, China increasing collaboration in space domain
Pakistan is gearing up to launch a CubeSat to the Moon as part of
China's upcoming lunar mission, Chang'e 6, scheduled for the first week of May.
This collaborative effort between Pakistan and China reflects a deepening
partnership in space exploration.
China's Chang'e 6 mission aims to promote international
cooperation by incorporating payloads and satellite projects from various
nations. Among these, Pakistan's contribution will be the ICUBE-Q CubeSat
satellite, joining payloads from France, the European Space Agency, Italy, and
others, as confirmed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
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to commence satellite launches in the coming years
Dubbed ICUBE-Qamar, or ICUBE-Q for short, this CubeSat is
developed by Pakistan's Institute of Space Technology (IST), in collaboration
with the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the
Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), and China's Shanghai Jiao
Tong University (SJTU).
CubeSats like ICUBE-Q are miniature satellites designed for
scientific research, technology development, and educational purposes in space
exploration. Their compact size and standardized design enable a wide range of
missions, including Earth observation, remote sensing, atmospheric research,
communications, astronomy, and technology demonstration.
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delegation visits China’s Deep Space Exploration Lab
Pakistan's involvement in space exploration extends beyond
CubeSats. Initiatives include sending seeds to China's Tiangong space station
for research on environmentally tolerant seeds. Additionally, Pakistan is
reportedly exploring formal agreements to participate in both the Tiangong
space station and China's lunar base on the South Pole, according to reports
from Dawn newspaper.
Source: MM News