By Muhammad Luqman
Pakistan is all set to launch PakTES-1A, an indigenously developed remote sensing satellite (RSS) in July this year, Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Muhmmad Faisal announced on Sunday.
In a tweet, the spokesman said that PakTES-1A was an indigenously developed remote sensing satellite that weighed 285 kg. It will be launched at 610 km sun-synchronous orbit in July he said and also shared the picture of the satellite’s model.
From concept till launch, Pakistan Technology Evaluation Satellite (PakTES-1A) is a fully indigenous project of the scientists and engineers of Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco).
In March, Pakistan had marked a significant milestone in space technology by securing a geostationary orbital slot along with previous frequency resources ensuring a continuous and expanding foothold in the extraterrestrial world.
Earlier this year, Beijing had announced it would launch two remote sensing satellites for Pakistan.
The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT) and Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) worked jointly on the satellites. The satellites will be used for geo-monitoring and taking images from the orbit.
In 2016, China and Pakistan had signed an agreement to launch a special remote sensing satellite. The main reason for signing the agreement was to monitor the development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
Currently, three satellites are under design by SUPARCO in collaboration with different universities throughout China.
