It is a matter of great pride and honor for the Islamic world, especially for the Pakistani nation, that its space mission iCube Qamar has been launched into lunar orbit. However, this is not Pakistan’s first foray into space. Let us inform you about Pakistan’s role in space exploration.
Zaigham Qadir, a prominent activist and science writer on social media, briefly mentioned the history of Pakistan’s space mission in one of his posts. According to him, after Israel and Japan, Pakistan was the third country in Asia to launch its mission into space. Additionally, Pakistan was the first nation in South Asia and the tenth in the world to send a spacecraft into space.
In the 1960s, when Russia began space exploration, the United States became concerned. NASA sought to gather more information about space quickly. During a meeting between President Ayub Khan and US President John F. Kennedy, it was revealed that NASA was interested in conducting research and collecting data on the upper atmosphere using rockets. Dr. Abdus Salam and Tariq Mustafa were subsequently briefed by NASA in Washington, and based on this information, they proposed the establishment of an institute for upper atmosphere research, which was approved by President Ayub. This institute was named the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission or SUPARCO.
Radiant Past of Pakistan in Space Exploration:
The period from 1960 to 1970 was very significant for Pakistan. During this time, Pakistan became the third Asian country after Israel and Japan to launch its mission into space. Along with this, Pakistan was the first nation in South Asia and the tenth in the world to have sent a spacecraft into space. According to SUPARCO, from 1960 to 1970, Pakistan launched two hundred rockets into space. A rocket called Rahbar was launched into space in 1962, and Rahbar II marked the conclusion of this series of missions. After these missions, NASA informed Pakistan that “this program will prove indispensable for space exploration and mutual interests.” Additionally, astronauts from the Apollo 17 mission visited Karachi and toured the SUPARCO office. Furthermore, an ionosphere station was established by NASA in collaboration with Quaid-i-Azam University in Rawat, Rawalpindi.
The Decline of SUPARCO:
According to Zaigham Qadir, when the government changed after 1970 and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s government came to power, SUPARCO was militarized. Retired soldiers were appointed to top positions in SUPARCO, and space missions were halted due to lack of funds.
Scientists working in SUPARCO were forcibly transferred to the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), and military officers replaced these scientists.
Additionally, in response to satellites launched by India, Pakistan launched Paksat, which enables Pakistanis to access every TV channel in the country today. It is noteworthy that the administrator who launched Paksat was the last “civilian” scientist in SUPARCO. According to some scientists, President Zia-ul-Haq announced the cessation of all funding for SUPARCO one day after visiting the organization. The launch of Paksat satellites with the assistance of China followed, but by then, SUPARCO had become defunct. Mission 2040 has also been launched to revitalize SUPARCO, but progress on this mission is currently very slow.
