Pakistan's iCube Qamar Satellite Launches on Historic Lunar Mission

Pakistan's first lunar orbiter, iCube Qamar (ICUBE-Q), successfully launched on Friday from China's Hainan Space Launch Site. The satellite is part of China's Chang'e-6 mission, which aims to return the first-ever samples from the far side of the moon. The launch marks a historic milestone for Pakistan's space program and demonstrates the country's capabilities in space exploration.

Why this matters: This collaboration between Pakistan and China on a historic lunar mission showcases the growing importance of international cooperation in space exploration and its potential to drive scientific breakthroughs. As more countries invest in space programs, this trend is likely to have significant implications for global cooperation, technological advancement, and our understanding of the universe.

The development of the ICUBE-Q payload is a collaborative effort between theInstitute of Space Technology's (IST)students and faculty, SUPARCO, and China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). The payload consists of three components: the CubeSat, the separation mechanism, and the mounting bracket, with a mass of approximately 7 kilograms. Khurram Khurshid, co-lead on the satellite project, described it as a"historic moment"that would open new avenues for future deep space missions from Pakistan.

The primary objective of the ICUBE-Q mission is to achieve seamless separation of the CubeSat into lunar orbit from the Chang'e-6 Orbiter. Upon successful separation, the orbiter will capture images of the lunar surface using two cameras, gather data on the lunar magnetic field, and capture images featuring at least two celestial objects together, such celestial objects together, for instance the Earth, Moon, and the orbiter itself.

The Chang'e-6 mission, of which ICUBE-Q is a part, is a historic endeavor by China to return the first samples from the far side of the moon. The mission will collect approximately 2kg of soil and rocks from the lunar surface and bring them back to Earth for thorough analysis. Scientists hope that retrieving material from the far side will reveal information about the origin and evolution of theEarth-moon system.

The Chang'e-6 spacecraft consists of four components: an orbiter, lander, ascender, and re-entry module. The lander and ascender will touch down in the northeastern part of the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, an area with complex geology and high scientific value. In addition to ICUBE-Q, the mission will carry scientific instruments built by international researchers, including the Detection of Outgassing RadoN (DORN) from France, the Negative Ions at the Lunar Surface (NILS) from Sweden, and a laser retroflector from Italy.

The Chang'e-6 spacecraft is expected to reach the moon on May 23, with landing and sampling taking place around June 6-8. The samples are expected to arrive on Earth around June 25. According to geophysicist Ross Mitchell from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Geology and Geophysics, "Knowledge of the far side of the moon is critical, particularly because the moon is 'two faced' – the near side and far side are strikingly distinct, so it's literally a whole new world over there."

The successful launch of ICUBE-Q paves the way for future collaborations and missions, as Pakistan demonstrates its capabilities in space exploration. As Mitchell notes,"Years ago it would have seemed like a moon shot for China to become a world leader in lunar research, but now it's actually happening. "With Pakistan's participation in the Chang'e-6 mission, the country is set to make valuable contributions to our understanding of the moon and the Earth-moon system."

Key Takeaways

• Pakistan's first lunar orbiter, iCube Qamar (ICUBE-Q), launched from China's Hainan Space Launch Site.
• ICUBE-Q is part of China's Chang'e-6 mission to return samples from the far side of the moon.
• The mission aims to capture images, gather data on the lunar magnetic field, and capture celestial objects together.
• The Chang'e-6 spacecraft will collect 2kg of soil and rocks from the lunar surface and bring them back to Earth.
• The successful launch paves the way for future collaborations and missions in space exploration.