Pakistan will participate in China’s historic moon mission using a small satellite.
In 2025, Pakistan will make history when it works with China to launch its first small satellite to the moon. As a part of China’s Chang’e-6 lunar sample return mission, the satellite known as ICECUBE-Q will travel to the far side of the moon. It may have an impact on future exploration and habitation if the satellite finds and measures ice traces on the lunar surface.
Since 1990, when China launched Pakistan’s first communication satellite, China and Pakistan have worked together in space. Two more satellites, one for optical remote sensing and the other for observation, were launched by Pakistan with assistance from China in 2018. An agreement on space exploration was struck in 2019 by the two nations, ushering in a new stage in their relationship.
Following the successful Chang’e-5 mission in 2020, which retrieved nearly 2 kg of material from the near side of the moon, Chang’e-6 is China’s second lunar sample return mission. Chang’e-6 will make the first-ever effort to gather 2 kg of material from the far side of the moon. Additionally, the flight will transport cargo from Sweden, Italy, and France.
China will launch Queqiao-2, a new relay satellite, in 2024 in order to communicate with the far side of the moon. Data transmission between the lander, the orbiter, and the Earth will be possible thanks to the relay satellite. The mission is anticipated to begin in May 2024 and end in roughly 53 days.
China’s ambitious goal to explore and utilise the moon’s resources includes a lunar expedition. In the coming years, China also intends to launch the Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 missions, which will perform extensive surveys and experiments on the lunar south pole. By 2030, China wants to build a robotic research facility close to the lunar south pole and eventually deploy people to the moon.
