- Pakistan’s Institute of Space Technology has built ICUBE-Q in collaboration with Shanghai University and SUPARCO
- The student-built payload carries two optical cameras to image lunar surface and will be part of China’s mission to the Moon
Pakistan is sending its lunar mission (ICUBE-Q) on board China’s Chang’e6 on 3 May. ICUBE-Q has been designed and developed by Islamabad-based Institute of Space Technology in collaboration with China’s Shanghai University and Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO.
The Institute of Space Technology (IST) in Islamabad announced that Pakistan’s first lunar mission, iCube-Q, is scheduled for launch on 3 May at 12:50 pm (Pakistan Standard Time) aboard China’s Chang’e 6 lunar probe from Hainan, China. This collaborative effort involves Pakistan’s national space agency Suparco, along with China’s Shanghai University SJTU.
The lunar mission headlined by China is set to land on the far side of the moon, where it will gather surface samples to be brought back to Earth for further research.
“Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, #SUPARCO’s logo is seen on China’s most powerful rocket #LongMarch5! Together with China’s #ChangE6 lunar probe and payloads from France and #ESA, Pakistan’s CubeSat is ready to go to the moon in just a few days!” the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said in a post on X.
Pakistan is scheduled to send its “historic” lunar mission (ICUBE-Q) on board China’s Chang’e6 which is scheduled to be launched on May 3, reported the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency on Tuesday.
ICUBE-Q has been designed and developed by the Institute of Space Technology in collaboration with China’s Shanghai University and Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO.
“ICUBE-Q orbiter carries two optical cameras to image the lunar surface,” the APP reported. “Following successful qualification and testing, ICUBE-Q has now been integrated with the Chang’e 6 mission.”
