Islamabad: PakistanIn cooperation with China, the first lunar mission was launched, iCube-KamarIn news from China’s Hainan province on Friday, authorities said the satellite will orbit the moon as part of Beijing’s Chang’e-6 space mission.
Pakistani TV and Chinese state TV broadcast live the launch of the satellite by China’s Long March 5 Y-8 carrier rocket. Lunar Orbital Mission.
Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan’s senior envoy to Beijing who attended the launch site, confirmed on the 1st that the event was “successful”. “It (the satellite) will be deployed in lunar orbit on May 8,” he added.
Authorities said Pakistan’s Institute of Space Technology (IST), in collaboration with China’s Shanghai University and Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO, jointly developed iCUBE-Q, or CubeSat.
CubeSats are microsatellites typically characterized by their small size and standardized design. They are cubic in shape, typically weigh no more than a few kilograms, and are deployed in space for various purposes.
The iCUBE-Q orbiter weighs about 7 kilograms and carries two cameras to capture images of the lunar surface, as well as other sensors and equipment for deep space communications, altitude control and other functions.
Officials said the main criterion for mission success will be achieved with the successful separation of iCUBE-Q from the Chang’e-6 orbiter. After separation, secondary criteria will involve satellites receiving beacon signals to confirm that the orbiter is functioning properly.
Finally, the orbiter will take pictures of the Earth and the Moon, and try to take pictures of at least two objects (Earth, Moon, and the orbiter) simultaneously.
The authority said that as part of the data collection, iCUBE-Q will also collect lunar magnetic field data and establish a lunar magnetic field model to lay the foundation for future missions and international lunar cooperation.
Dr. Khurram Khurshid, a senior member of Pakistan’s space program, said the satellite will reach the moon’s orbit in five days and will orbit the moon for three to six months.
He added that different pictures of the lunar surface will be taken with the help of the orbiter, after which Pakistan will have its own satellite images of the moon for study.
Pakistani TV and Chinese state TV broadcast live the launch of the satellite by China’s Long March 5 Y-8 carrier rocket. Lunar Orbital Mission.
Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan’s senior envoy to Beijing who attended the launch site, confirmed on the 1st that the event was “successful”. “It (the satellite) will be deployed in lunar orbit on May 8,” he added.
Authorities said Pakistan’s Institute of Space Technology (IST), in collaboration with China’s Shanghai University and Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO, jointly developed iCUBE-Q, or CubeSat.
CubeSats are microsatellites typically characterized by their small size and standardized design. They are cubic in shape, typically weigh no more than a few kilograms, and are deployed in space for various purposes.
The iCUBE-Q orbiter weighs about 7 kilograms and carries two cameras to capture images of the lunar surface, as well as other sensors and equipment for deep space communications, altitude control and other functions.
Officials said the main criterion for mission success will be achieved with the successful separation of iCUBE-Q from the Chang’e-6 orbiter. After separation, secondary criteria will involve satellites receiving beacon signals to confirm that the orbiter is functioning properly.
Finally, the orbiter will take pictures of the Earth and the Moon, and try to take pictures of at least two objects (Earth, Moon, and the orbiter) simultaneously.
The authority said that as part of the data collection, iCUBE-Q will also collect lunar magnetic field data and establish a lunar magnetic field model to lay the foundation for future missions and international lunar cooperation.
Dr. Khurram Khurshid, a senior member of Pakistan’s space program, said the satellite will reach the moon’s orbit in five days and will orbit the moon for three to six months.
He added that different pictures of the lunar surface will be taken with the help of the orbiter, after which Pakistan will have its own satellite images of the moon for study.
