Daily Times

Pakistan is all set to launch a new satellite Dubbed MM1 on May 30, according to the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco).

The national space agency, Suparco, said that the launch is set to take place from Islamabad. The primary objective behind the MM1 satellite is to strengthen Pakistan’s communication infrastructure. This satellite is actually a communication satellite which will be sent in Geostationary Orbit. The GEO orbit is at an altitude of about 36000 km from the Earth. The satellite is expected to contribute to the establishment of a sophisticated communication network and help meet the growing demands of the telecom sector.

The satellite’s advanced capabilities are expected to address the increasing demand for high-speed internet and seamless connectivity. Earlier, Pakistan’s historic lunar mission (ICUBE-Q) was launched on May 03 on board China’s Chang’E6 from Hainan, China. The satellite ICUBE-Q was designed and developed by Institute of Space Technology in collaboration with China’s Shanghai University SJTU and Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO.

The satellite, weighing about 7kg, was developed by the Electrical Engineering Department of the Institute of Space Technology (IST) in Islamabad .The satellite successfully captured and transmitted its inaugural images from lunar orbit, providing a unique perspective of the moon’s surface. It is pertinent to mention here that satellites play a very important role in the development of any country for its planning.

In case of any kind of natural disaster (earthquake, flood, forest fire etc.), the role of satellite is very important from mapping the situation of the place, assessing the damage, to planning the recovery.

Analysis of Earth from space in the field of agriculture, weather and climate conditions in different regions, melting glaciers, landslides, rising sea temperatures, changing coastal areas for long periods of time is not possible without satellites. .

Three types of satellites are required for any country, firstly for communication, secondly for remote sensing and reconnaissance, and thirdly for navigation.

Pakistan has the first two types of satellites right now but even they are still insufficient to cope with the current requirements and challenges.

Currently, according to Suparco, Pakistan has one remote sensing and communication satellite in operation including PRSS-1 (Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite) and PakSAT-1R (Communication Satellite).