Pakistan’s Historic Lunar Mission Set for Launch on May 3 with China’s Cooperation

Islamabad: The historic lunar mission of Pakistan, the ICUBE-Q, will set off on May 3 with cooperation from China.

The Institute of Space Technology of Pakistan, in collaboration with Shanghai University of China and Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO, has designed and prepared the ICUBE-Q.

According to APP, Pakistan’s official news agency, the ICUBE-Q is equipped with two optical cameras to capture images of the moon’s surface.

After successful qualification and testing, the ICUBE-Q is now associated with China’s Chang’e 6 mission.

China is commencing its first attempt to collect samples from a far side of the moon.

The Chinese mission aims to obtain samples containing substances ejected from the moon’s mantle, providing insights into lunar, terrestrial, and solar system history.

According to the website of the Institute of Space Technology, China’s National Space Administration has authorized the Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization member countries to load their student-prepared payloads onto their missions, including sending payloads to the moon.

Pakistani authorities have developed a device that has been selected for this purpose after rigorous evaluation.