Historic moment as Pakistan flies to the Moon for first time

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

In a historic moment for Pakistan, iCube Qamar - the country's first satellite mission to the Moon — was launched into space from China on Friday.

The satellite, being carried by China's Long March-5 rocket, took off for its visit to space on board the Chang'E6 from the Wenchang Space launch site in the Hainan province in China, officials said.

The launch activity was telecast live on the IST website and the Chinese state television. Dr Khurshid — a member of the Core Committee at the Institute of Space Technology (IST) — said that Pakistan's satellite mission will reach the lunar orbit in five days and will circle around the Moon for three to six months.

He added that different pictures of the surface of the moon will be taken with the help of the satellite after which Pakistan will have its own satellite images of the moon for research.

The satellite has been designed and developed by the IST in collaboration with China's Shanghai University and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, #SUPARCO’s logo is seen on China’s most powerful rocket #LongMarch5. Chang’6, China’s Lunar Mission will touch down on the moon’s far side to collect samples from the surface and return to earth for research.

The Chang'e 6 lunar probe and the Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket combination sit atop the launch pad at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan province. Reuters

The mission holds significance for Pakistan as it will also take a Pakistan CubeSat Satellite iCube-Q, developed by IST. CubeSats are miniature satellites typically characterised by their small size and standardised design.

They are constructed in a cubic shape, consisting of modular components that adhere to specific size constraints These satellites often weigh no more than a few kilogrammes and are deployed in space for various purposes.

The primary purpose of CubeSats is to facilitate scientific research, technology development, and educational initiatives in space exploration. It is the latest advance in China’s increasingly sophisticated space exploration programme, which is now competing with the US, still the leader in space.

China also has a three-member crew on its own orbiting space station and aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030.