iCube-Qamar sends first images of Moon

Pakistan’s first satellite mission iCube-Qamar sent the first images of the moon captured in the lunar orbit on Friday.

The satellite was launched from Wenchang Space launch site in south China’s Hainan Province, last week.

The iCUBE-Q orbiter carried two optical cameras to image the lunar surface.

According to Institute of Space Technology, it entered the lunar orbit and completed its rotation in 12 hours.

“The iCube-Qamar will image the lunar orbit from a distance of 200 kilometres from the surface of the moon,” the IST said.

It added that the signals of iCube-Qamar will be received on Earth by covering a distance of 360,000 to 400,000 km.

“iCube-Qamar has made three rounds around the moon,” the IST said.

According to Dr. Khurram, satellite images of the moon’s surface will be acquired through China’s Deep Space Network.

In 2022, the Chinese National Space Agency through the Asia-Pacific Space Corporation Organization (APSCO) provided a unique opportunity for member countries to reach lunar orbit for free.

The member countries had sent their plans on the proposal of APSCO. The member countries of APSCO include Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Peru, South Korea, Thailand and Turkey.

The Institute of Space Technology had also submitted a proposed project on behalf of Pakistan and, out of 8 countries, only the project of Pakistan was accepted. After two years of hard work, the satellite ‘ICube Q’ was completed.