In a significant milestone for Pakistan's space program, the country's first satellite, iCube Qamar, has made history by transmitting its first images from the moon's orbit.
The iCube Qamar satellite, developed by Pakistani scientists and engineers, successfully captured and transmitted its inaugural images from the lunar orbit, providing a unique perspective of the moon's surface.
The satellite sent an image of the sun shining brightly, another of the moon and a third of the sun and moon from the moon's orbit seven days after being launched into space on May 3.
The first images taken by iCube Qamar has been received, confirmed the spokesperson for the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), which developed the satellite in collaboration with the Shanghai University of China.
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A special ceremony was held at the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to celebrate the success of the mission. The CNSA authorities officially presented the first photo from the satellite to the Pakistani ambassador, symbolizing the strong collaboration between the two nations in space exploration.
Institute of Space Technology Department of Electrical Engineering head Dr. Khurram Khurshid elaborated on the satellite's journey, revealing that upon its arrival in space, the iCube Qamar's camera was strategically positioned to capture images. Subsequently, the satellite ventured into the lunar orbit, where it captured images of the moon's surface, including the historic first photo transmitted from this orbit.
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Pakistan launched its first mission to the moon on May 3, entering the international space race for research. The mission was launched with Chinese assistance from China's Hainan Space Site. The satellite, weighing about 7kg, was developed by the Electrical Engineering Department of the Institute of Space Technology (IST) in Islamabad in two years.
The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) launched the first satellite into lunar orbit, which was linked to the Chang'e 6 mission of China. With the launch of the mission, Pakistan became the sixth country in the world to go to the moon.
