ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is all set to launch a new satellite Dubbed MM1 on Thursday, according to the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).
SUPARCO, the national space agency, has confirmed that it will launch the New Satellite from Islamabad. The primary aim of the MM1 satellite is to fortify Pakistan’s communication infrastructure.
Specifically, it is a communication satellite destined for Geostationary Orbit, positioned approximately 36,000 kilometres above the Earth’s surface. This satellite is expected to play a pivotal role in establishing an advanced communication network and fulfilling the increasing demands of the telecom sector, including high-speed internet and seamless connectivity.
In a recent milestone, Pakistan’s historic lunar mission, ICUBE-Q, was launched on May 3 aboard China’s Chang’E6 from Hainan, China. The ICUBE-Q satellite, developed in collaboration with China’s Shanghai University SJTU and Pakistan’s SUPARCO, weighs about 7kg and was crafted by the Electrical Engineering Department of the Institute of Space Technology (IST) in Islamabad. It successfully captured and transmitted its initial images from lunar orbit, offering a distinctive view of the moon’s surface.
Satellites play a crucial role in a country’s development and planning, particularly in the event of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and forest fires. They facilitate mapping, damage assessment, and recovery planning.
Moreover, satellites are indispensable for analysing agricultural landscapes, weather patterns, climate conditions, glacial melt, landslides, sea temperature fluctuations, and coastal changes over extended periods. Generally, countries require three types of satellites: communication, remote sensing and reconnaissance, and navigation.
Presently, Pakistan possesses communication and remote sensing satellites, namely PRSS-1 (Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite) and PakSAT-1R (Communication Satellite). However, even with these satellites in operation, Pakistan faces challenges in meeting its current requirements. —APP
