Pakistan to launch CubeSat to Moon on China’s lunar mission next month

Author:

China’s forthcoming lunar mission, Chang’e 6, slated for the first week of May, is set to include the ICUBE-Q CubeSat satellite from Pakistan, as the two nations deepen their collaboration in space exploration.

This mission aims to foster international cooperation by incorporating payloads and satellite projects from various countries and regions. Among these are France’s DORN radon detection instrument, the European Space Agency’s negative ion detector, Italy’s laser retroreflector, and Pakistan’s CubeSat, as confirmed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Dubbed ICUBE-Qamar, or ICUBE-Q for brevity, this CubeSat, developed by Pakistan’s Institute of Space Technology (IST) in conjunction 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), is scheduled for launch next month.

CubeSats, like ICUBE-Q, are miniature satellites primarily intended for scientific research, technology development, and educational endeavors in space exploration. These satellites, characterized by their compact size and standardized design, offer opportunities for a wide range of missions, including Earth observation, remote sensing, atmospheric research, communications, astronomy, and technology demonstration.

Furthermore, Pakistan’s involvement in space exploration extends beyond CubeSats, with initiatives such as sending seeds to China’s Tiangong space station for research on environmentally tolerant seeds. Additionally, Pakistan is reportedly exploring the possibility of formal agreements to join both the Tiangong space station and China’s lunar base on the South Pole, according to Dawn newspaper reports.

Share
Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

  • Health

Climate change، growing threat to eradicate polio from the world. WHO

LAHORE: The World Health Organization (WHO) said that climate crisis and its threat to health…

10 hours ago
  • Pakistan

Parliament passes bills on military chiefs tenure extension, SC expansion

The National Assembly on Monday passed six bills, including one seeking an increase in the…

21 hours ago
  • Pakistan

SBP cuts key policy rate by 250bps to 15pc

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced on Monday that it had decided to cut…

1 day ago
  • Pakistan

Verdict reserved on Imran, wife’s bail pleas in 7 cases

The district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday reserved its verdict on bail pleas…

1 day ago
  • Pakistan

Six terrorists killed in two KP operations

At least six terrorists were killed by the security forces in two separation operations in…

1 day ago
  • Pakistan

Punjab has no plan to buy PIA, clarifies minister

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Monday said that the provincial government had "no intentions"…

1 day ago