Pakistan’s satellite set to embark on moon journey

After India’s successful Chandrayaan-3 moon landing last year, Pakistan is set for historic expedition with satellite ICUBE-Q, which is expected to be launched on Friday (May 3).

The landmark mission will be on board at China’s Chang’E6 from Hainan.

The satellite ICUBE-Q has been designed and developed by the institute in collaboration with China’s Shanghai University SJTU and Pakistan’s national space agency Suparco, said the Institute of Space Technology (IST).

The satellite is equipped with two optical cameras to image the lunar surface.

After testing, ICUBE-Q has now been integrated with the Chang’e6 mission. Chang’e6 is the sixth in a series of China’s lunar exploration missions.

The rocket will touchdown on the moon’s far side to collect samples from the surface and return to earth for research.

The mission holds significance for Pakistan as it will also take a Pakistan CubeSat Satellite iCube-Q, developed by IST.

CubeSats are miniature satellites typically characterized by their small size and standardised design.

These satellites often weigh no more than a few kilograms and are deployed in space for various purposes.

The primary purpose of CubeSats is to facilitate scientific research, technology development, and educational initiatives in space exploration.