Pakistan is set to embark on a historic lunar mission called ICUBE-Q, scheduled for launch this week on May 3. The mission will take place aboard China’s Chang’E6 spacecraft from Hainan.
This comes after India’s Chandrayaan-3 moon landing last year. Developed by the Institute of Space Technology (IST) in collaboration with China’s Shanghai University SJTU and Pakistan’s national space agency Suparco, ICUBE-Q carries two optical cameras to capture images of the lunar surface.
Integrated with China’s sixth lunar exploration mission, ICUBE-Q aims to collect samples from the moon’s far side for research purposes. This mission holds great significance for Pakistan as it will deploy the iCube-Q CubeSat satellite. This satellite, known for its small size and modular design, offers opportunities for scientific research, technology development, and educational initiatives in space exploration.
CubeSats like iCube-Q enable a wider range of users to access space and promote collaboration within the space community by serving as platforms for testing new technologies and concepts. This mission marks a significant step forward for Pakistan in space exploration and research.
