Tue, 21-Oct-2025

China hands over lunar mission cube satellite data to Pakistan

China

BEIJING: China on Friday delivered the data to Pakistan captured by its iCube-Qamar satellite which was onboard the Chang’e-6 spacecraft, deepening lunar exploration cooperation between the two countries.

Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration handed the data carrier over to Pakistani Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi at a ceremony held in Beijing. Both unveiled the first image taken by the satellite.

The ceremony was presided over by Chief Engineer of the China National Space Administration Li Guoping. Representatives from the Department of International Cooperation of the China National Space Administration, the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Jiaotong University, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission of Pakistan and the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization attended the meeting.

At the ceremony, the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of China National Space Administration made a report on the mission of Chang’e-6 as the overall project. The Pakistan Institute of Space Technology made a report on the development of the payload and international cooperation, and Shanghai Jiaotong University reported on the cooperative development of the payload as the Chinese responsible unit.

The cube satellite, known as iCube-Q, was jointly developed by Pakistan’s Institute of Space Technology and China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

[embedpost slug=”first-image-from-icube-qamar-received”]

Read more

First image from ICube Qamar received

ICube

KARACHI: Pakistan’s space program has embarked on a historic lunar mission, with its satellite ICube Qamar successfully capturing the first-ever image of the Moon.

A special ceremony was held at the China National Space Administration on the successful mission of iCube Qamar, in which the Chinese authorities handed over the first image received from iCube Qamar to Pakistani Ambassador Khalil Hashmi.

The first image shows sunlight, IQ Qamar has started taking pictures of the moon.

iCube Qamar has been successfully deployed in fixed lunar orbit and iCube Qamar is working according to all the specified parameters.

It should be noted that Pakistan’s first lunar space mission iCube Qamar ‘Cheng E6’ was launched on May 3 from Wencheng Space Center in Henan, China.

[embedpost slug=”pakistans-icube-qamar-successfully-reached-moon-orbit”]

Read more

Pakistan’s iCube Qamar successfully reached moon orbit

moon

KARACHI: Pakistan’s first lunar mission ‘iCube Qamar’ has successfully reached the moon orbit, Bol News reported.

The China’s Chang’e 6 mission has successfully placed the Pakistani satellite iCube Qamar into moon orbit while Pakistani space scientists Dr Khurram Khurshid and Dr Qamarul Islam are in China.

After deployment of iCube Qamar, all subsystems will be reviewed as per SOPs, it may take about a week to verify all subsystems before the satellite imaging system becomes operational.

The first image of the moon from iCube Qamar is likely to be received by May 15 or 16, after the Chang’e-6 mission enters lunar orbit under the influence of the moon’s gravity.

In the next phase, the Chang’e-6 lander and assender will land on the far side of the moon’s south pole, with the main lander separating from the Chang’e-6 mission on June 1.

The Chang’e-6 mission will collect soil and rock samples from the lunar surface on June 2, while the return journey will begin on June 4 and the Chang’e-6 mission will dock on June 6.

According to the program, the Chang’e-6 mission will land back on Earth on June 25 after completing a 53-day mission.

[embedpost slug=”historic-moment-pakistans-first-ever-satellite-icube-qamar-to-launch-today”]

Read more

Pakistan launches its first lunar satellite ‘ICUBE-Qamar’

Pakistan launches its first lunar satellite ‘ICUBE-Q’

ISLAMABAD: Institute of Space Technology (IST) a leading high-end university of Pakistan had the distinct honor of launching a Cube Satellite ICUBE-Qamar (ICUBE-Q) in Lunar orbit onboard the China’s Chang `E-6 Mission on Friday at 14:18 PST from Wenchang Space Launch Site, Hainan, China. CubeSats are a class of small satellites used by academic institutes … Read more

‘Historic moment’: Pakistan’s first-ever satellite iCube Qamar to launch today

‘Historic moment’: Pakistan's first-ever satellite iCube Qamar to launch today

iCube Qamar, a cube satellite, is all set to make its first journey into the lunar as a part of China’s Chang’e-6 mission today. The satellite will embark on its first mission at 13:50 PM PST, May 3, 2024 (today) with the initial phase of the mission lasting for about 53 days. The launch of … Read more