Pakistan’s inaugural lunar satellite venture, iCube Qamar, was successfully launched aboard China’s Chang’E6 spacecraft from Hainan, China on Friday.
The launch was broadcast live on the IST website and Chinese state media channels.
Transported by China’s Long March-5 rocket, the Pakistani satellite is scheduled to enter lunar orbit within five days, where it will conduct a mission lasting three to six months. This endeavor aims to capture various images of the moon’s surface, providing Pakistan with its repository of lunar data for research purposes.
Developed through a collaboration between Pakistan’s Institute of Space Technology (IST), China’s Shanghai University, and Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO, the ICUBE-Q orbiter is equipped with two optical cameras specifically designed for lunar imaging. Following rigorous qualification and testing, ICUBE-Q has been seamlessly integrated into the Chang’e6 mission, marking a significant milestone in China’s ongoing lunar exploration program.
The Institute of Space Technology (IST) on Tuesday said Pakistan’s “historic” lunar module iCube-Q, which was designed by IST in collaboration with China’s Shanghai University (SJTU) and Pakistan’s national space agency Suparco will be aboard Chang’e-6.
China will send a robotic spacecraft in the coming days on a round trip to the moon’s far side in the first of three technically demanding missions that will pave the way for an inaugural Chinese crewed landing and a base on the lunar south pole.
