Pakistan in space: from Badr-1 in 1990 to iCube-Qamar at the Moon
Pakistan's first satellite, Badr-1, launched in 1990. In 2024 the iCube-Qamar CubeSat reached the Moon on China's Chang'e-6 mission. Key milestones.
Pakistan's space agency is SUPARCO, the Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, set up in 1961.
Milestones
- 1962: Rehbar-I, a sounding rocket launched from Sonmiani, Balochistan
- 1990: Badr-1, Pakistan's first satellite, launched from China
- 2018: PRSS-1, Pakistan's first remote-sensing (Earth observation) satellite
- May 2024: iCube-Qamar, a small CubeSat built with the Institute of Space Technology, travelled to the Moon on China's Chang'e-6 mission and sent back images from lunar orbit
- May 2024: PakSat-MM1, a communications satellite, launched
What satellites do for Pakistan
- Weather and flood monitoring
- Maps for farming and city planning
- TV, internet and phone links in remote areas
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