Pakistan’s iCube-Qamar, the nation’s maiden lunar satellite, has marked a historic moment by beaming back its inaugural images from the lunar orbit, announced the country’s national space agency.
Launched as part of China’s Chang’e-6 lunar mission from Hainan province on May 3, the satellite achieved a significant milestone by successfully entering the moon’s orbit at 1:14 PM on May 8. The moon, situated at an average distance of 384,400 kilometers from Earth, now hosts this groundbreaking Pakistani satellite.
Crafted through a collaboration between Islamabad’s Institute of Space Technology (IST), China’s Shanghai University (SJTU), and Pakistan’s national space agency Suparco, the iCube-Qamar satellite is a testament to international cooperation in space exploration.
The unveiling of the milestone images took place at a ceremony hosted by the China National Space Agency (CNSA) to celebrate the successful culmination of the mission, revealed Maria Tariq, spokesperson for Suparco. The images were formally handed over to Pakistan’s ambassador to Beijing during the event.
Equipped with two optical cameras, the iCube-Qamar orbiter boasts a cubesat design, known for its compact size and standardized cubic structure. These miniature satellites present cost-effective opportunities for universities, research institutions, and commercial entities to engage in space missions and contribute to scientific endeavors.
Enduring extreme temperatures as low as minus 100 degrees Celsius, the satellite features a specialized 7-kilogram, one-megapixel camera tailored for missions with power constraints. Dr. Khurram Khursheed, head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Science at IST, emphasized the satellite’s pivotal role in deep space exploration. He highlighted its capacity for surface-level analysis and its ability to transmit images at a modest 1-kbps rate, facilitating crucial data collection on crater locations, water, and potential traces of ice on the moon’s surface.
While the Chinese lander undertakes the collection of rock and soil samples, iCube-Qamar is set to spend the next three to six months orbiting the moon, diligently capturing and transmitting images back to Earth.
IST expressed gratitude for the opportunity to deploy the cubesat into lunar orbit as part of the Chang’e-6 mission, a gesture extended by CNSA through the Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO). Following meticulous evaluation, Pakistan’s proposal was chosen over those from other APSCO member states, underscoring the nation’s growing presence and capabilities in space exploration.
