Big News! Pakistan Sends Its First Mission to the Moon
Today was a big day for Pakistan as it launched its first-ever mission to the moon, called ICUBE-Qamar. This amazing achievement happened thanks to teamwork between the Institute of Space Technology (IST), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in China, and Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO. ICUBE-Qamar caught a ride on China’s Chang’E6 spacecraft, which blasted off from Hainan, China.
People could watch the launch live on the IST website, showing how far Pakistan has come in space exploration.
ICUBE-Qamar is a satellite that will circle the moon and take pictures of its surface with its two cameras. Before joining the Chang’E6 mission, it went through a lot of tests.
Chang’E6’s main job is to land on the side of the moon we can’t see from Earth, grab some samples, and bring them back for scientists to study. Along with its fancy equipment, this mission also carries a small satellite from Pakistan called iCube-Q, which was made by IST. These small satellites, called CubeSats, are used for all sorts of things like studying Earth, checking out the atmosphere, communicating, and trying out new technology.
Pakistan joining this moon mission shows how it’s becoming more involved in space exploration worldwide and how much it’s eager to learn more about what’s beyond our planet.
