A Pioneering Start: The 1960s Rocketry Program
The genesis of Pakistan’s space program was a product of unique geopolitical circumstances and the foresight of a single, influential scientist. In 1961, against the backdrop of an intensifying Cold War space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, Pakistan’s Nobel laureate Dr. Abdus Salam recognized a singular opportunity. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), deeply engaged in its ambitious Apollo program to land a man on the Moon, required scientific data on the upper atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. NASA extended an invitation to nations in the region, including Pakistan, to join in these studies, offering technical support and funding in exchange for shared data.
Dr. Salam seized this opening, persuading the government of President Ayub Khan to establish a body dedicated to space sciences. In September 1961, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) was formed, initially as a committee within the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). This move made Pakistan the first country in South Asia and the Islamic world to formally embark on a space program, placing it among the first ten nations globally to do so. The program’s rapid start was a direct consequence of this strategic alignment. NASA’s need for atmospheric data created an opportunity for Pakistan to receive a turnkey solution of American rocket technology, training, and support. This arrangement allowed the nascent program to bypass the arduous initial stages of rocket development, which often take years of independent research. While this conferred immense prestige and a significant head start over regional contemporaries, it also established a foundational reliance on foreign technology and political goodwill—a dependency that would later prove to be a significant vulnerability when geopolitical alignments shifted.
Collaboration with NASA and the Rehbar Rocket Series
The partnership with the United States was immediate and practical. A small team of Pakistani scientists and engineers, including future SUPARCO chairmen Salim Mehmud and Sikandar Zaman, was sent for training at NASA‘s Wallops Flight Facility and the Goddard Space Flight Center. They learned the fundamentals of rocketry and high-altitude research directly from American experts. This intensive knowledge transfer, combined with the provision of U.S. hardware, enabled SUPARCO to achieve a remarkable feat.
On June 7, 1962, less than a year after its formation, SUPARCO successfully launched its first sounding rocket, named Rehbar-I, from a newly constructed launch site near Karachi. The name “Rehbar,” meaning “one who leads the way” in Urdu, was symbolic of the nation’s pioneering status. The Rehbar-I was a two-stage, solid-propellant rocket based on the American Nike-Cajun design. It carried an 80-pound sodium payload to an altitude of approximately 130 km to study wind patterns in the upper atmosphere. The data gathered from these experiments on wind shear and atmospheric structure was shared with NASA, fulfilling Pakistan’s end of the agreement and contributing to the broader scientific efforts of the era.
The launch of Rehbar-I was a major milestone, making Pakistan the tenth country in the world and the third in Asia, after Japan and Israel, to conduct a successful space launch. This was the beginning of a very active decade for the agency. Between 1962 and 1972, SUPARCO conducted over 200 sounding rocket launches from its coastal range. This extensive program, known as the Rehbar series, utilized various rocket models provided by the U.S. and France, including the Nike-Cajun, Judi-Dart, and Centaure rockets. These launches were not just for show; they were part of a continuous scientific mission to understand the upper atmosphere, contributing to studies of weather patterns and cyclone formation over the Arabian Sea.
Establishing a Foundation: Sonmiani and Early Infrastructure
The speed with which Pakistan established its space infrastructure was a testament to the focused effort of its early years. The primary launch facility, the Sonmiani Flight Test Range, was constructed on the coast of Balochistan, about 50 km west of Karachi, in just nine months. This rapid development, from procuring equipment to building the range and successfully launching a rocket, was an achievement that reportedly surprised even NASA specialists.
Building on this initial success, SUPARCO began to develop its indigenous capabilities. In 1967, the agency established Pakistan’s first rocket manufacturing plant in Karachi. This facility enabled the production of locally developed sounding rockets, such as the Rehnuma and Shahpar series, which were successfully launched by 1969. Alongside the manufacturing plant, an Instrumentation Laboratory was set up, laying the essential groundwork for what would eventually become the agency’s satellite program. This early focus on building a domestic industrial and technical base, even while relying on foreign partners, demonstrated a clear ambition to move beyond simple assembly and toward genuine technological development.
A Lost Trajectory: Shifting Priorities and Stagnation
Despite its impressive head start, the momentum of Pakistan’s space program began to falter in the 1970s and 1980s. The decline was not caused by a single event but by a gradual and fundamental shift in the nation’s strategic priorities. This period saw the space program become a secondary casualty of a larger national security objective: the development of a nuclear deterrent. This pivot away from civilian space exploration fundamentally altered the agency’s trajectory, leading to decades of relative stagnation while regional peers, notably India, began to surge ahead.
The Impact of National Politics and the Nuclear Program
The primary driver of SUPARCO’s decline was the redirection of Pakistan’s political, financial, and scientific resources toward its nuclear program. Following the 1971 war and India’s “Smiling Buddha” nuclear test in 1974, Pakistan’s leadership under Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto made the acquisition of a nuclear capability the nation’s foremost priority. This decision had a direct and detrimental effect on the civilian space program, as funding and top-tier scientific talent were channeled into the nuclear effort.
The situation was compounded during the 1980s under the administration of President Zia-ul-Haq. Funding for SUPARCO was further reduced, and the agency’s focus was explicitly reoriented toward military applications. In 1981, even as SUPARCO was elevated from a committee to a full-fledged independent commission, its ongoing civilian projects were reportedly terminated due to a lack of funds. The agency’s work became increasingly intertwined with the defense establishment, with a new emphasis on developing ballistic missiles. This explains what might otherwise seem a contradiction: a civilian space agency playing a role in the development of missile systems like the Hatf and Shaheen series. This shift fundamentally altered SUPARCO’s character from a primarily scientific body to a quasi-military research and development wing.
Decline in Funding and a Change in Leadership
The diversion of resources was accompanied by persistent political instability and inconsistent funding, which made long-term strategic planning for the space program nearly impossible. The departure of visionary scientific leaders and the reported appointment of military officials to top management positions at SUPARCO further influenced the agency’s culture and direction. The focus moved away from open scientific exploration and toward more classified, defense-oriented projects. This change not only limited the scope for international scientific collaboration, especially with Western nations following sanctions related to the nuclear program, but also defined the agency’s development path for years to come. It became viewed more as a strategic asset for national security rather than a tool for broad scientific discovery and socio-economic benefit.
The Divergence from India’s ISRO
This period of stagnation in Pakistan coincided with the rise of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Established in 1969, eight years after SUPARCO, ISRO benefited from consistent political backing, a clear civilian-focused mandate, and a long-term vision for self-reliance. While SUPARCO’s progress stalled, ISRO was methodically building its capabilities in both satellite and launch vehicle technology.
India’s successful launch of its first satellite, Aryabhata, in 1975 served as a stark reminder of the diverging paths of the two nations’ space programs. While this event did motivate some renewed interest in a Pakistani satellite program within government circles, the response was inconsistent and lacked the sustained commitment seen in India. The early lead that Pakistan had enjoyed in the 1960s was lost, setting the stage for a decades-long effort to catch up.
The Dawn of the Satellite Age
After a period dominated by sounding rocket experiments and subsequent stagnation, SUPARCO embarked on a new chapter in the 1980s: the development of satellite technology. This transition marked a significant shift in the agency’s focus, moving from atmospheric research to orbital mechanics and space-based communications. The journey was fraught with delays and challenges, but it culminated in the successful launch of Pakistan’s first satellite, an achievement that redefined the country’s space ambitions and forged a new, enduring international partnership.
The Badr Program: Pakistan’s First Steps into Orbit
The initiative that propelled Pakistan into the satellite era was the Badr program, named after the Urdu word for “Full Moon”. Conceived in the early 1980s, the program’s primary objective was to build indigenous capabilities in satellite design, manufacturing, and operations. It was a deliberate effort to gain hands-on experience in the complex fields of satellite telemetry, tracking, and control, which are essential for any nation aspiring to operate assets in orbit.
Badr-1: A Milestone Achieved with Chinese Support
The centerpiece of this effort was Badr-1, Pakistan’s first indigenously developed and manufactured satellite. It was a small, experimental spacecraft weighing 52 kg, designed as a digital store-and-forward communications satellite. The satellite itself was a 26-sided polyhedron covered with solar panels, built by a dedicated team of Pakistani engineers and scientists at SUPARCO’s facilities.
The path to orbit for Badr-1 was not straightforward and highlights the vulnerabilities of a program dependent on foreign partners. The satellite was originally scheduled to be launched from the United States aboard the Space Shuttle in 1986. However, the tragic Challenger disaster that year led to a long-term suspension of the shuttle’s commercial launch program, leaving Badr-1 stranded on the ground. This setback forced SUPARCO to seek other options. The People’s Republic of China, an emerging space power and a close strategic ally, stepped in to offer a launch solution.
This pragmatic pivot proved to be a defining moment for Pakistan’s space program. On July 16, 1990, Badr-1 was successfully launched into low Earth orbit as a secondary payload on a Chinese Long March 2E rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. This event not only marked Pakistan’s entry into the exclusive club of satellite-operating nations but also cemented a new, foundational strategic alliance with China in the space domain. The Badr-1 satellite successfully completed its 35-day mission, orbiting the Earth every 96 minutes and allowing Pakistani ground stations to conduct valuable experiments in data communication. The experience gained was invaluable, but the most significant outcome was the strategic realignment toward Beijing, which would enable the program’s survival and future growth.
Badr-B: An Earth Observation Endeavor
Building on the success of Badr-1, SUPARCO initiated the Badr-B project in 1992. This second satellite was a more ambitious and complex undertaking. Badr-B was a 68 kg microsatellite designed for Earth observation, representing a step up in technological sophistication. Its mission objectives included capturing Earth imagery with a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) camera, conducting studies on gravity gradients, and monitoring the near-Earth radiation environment.
The Badr-B project also demonstrated a model of international collaboration. While the payload and systems were largely developed in Pakistan, the satellite bus was provided by Space Innovations Limited (SIL), a British company. Technical assistance and components also came from institutions like the UK’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. However, like its predecessor, Badr-B faced significant delays due to funding constraints and challenges in securing a launch. It was finally sent into a Sun-synchronous orbit on December 10, 2001, aboard a Russian Zenit-2 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Badr program, though small in scale, provided the essential learning curve for SUPARCO, paving the way for the more advanced operational satellites that would follow.
Building a Modern Space Presence
Following the foundational experience gained from the Badr program, Pakistan’s space efforts in the 21st century shifted toward establishing a permanent and functional presence in orbit. This new phase was characterized by the development of operational communications and remote sensing satellites designed to deliver tangible socio-economic benefits. It involved acquiring critical orbital slots, deepening the technological partnership with China, and building the necessary ground infrastructure to command the satellites and utilize their data.
The Paksat Series: Securing a Place in Geostationary Orbit
The Paksat program was conceived to give Pakistan a foothold in the highly strategic and commercially valuable geostationary orbit (GEO), located 36,000 km above the Earth, which is ideal for communications satellites. The program’s beginnings were a lesson in space diplomacy and pragmatism. In the 1980s, Pakistan had filed for orbital slots but had failed to place a satellite in them, risking their loss to other nations. To avert this crisis, SUPARCO made a strategic move in 2002. It leased a second-hand satellite that was already in orbit, Palapa-C1, from Indonesia after it had suffered an electrical anomaly. Renamed Paksat-1, this spacecraft secured Pakistan’s claim to the 38° East orbital position and provided communication services for nearly a decade.
The true modernization of the Paksat fleet came with Paksat-1R (the “R” standing for Replacement). This was a major collaborative project with China. The satellite was manufactured by the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) using its modern DFH-4 satellite bus, a platform designed for high-power, long-life missions. The project was not merely a purchase; it included a crucial component of Know-How and Technology Transfer (KHTT), allowing Pakistani engineers to gain expertise in advanced communication satellite technologies. Paksat-1R was successfully launched on August 11, 2011, from China’s Xichang launch site. With a design life of 15 years, it significantly enhanced Pakistan’s capabilities, offering a wide range of services—including broadband internet, digital television broadcasting, and tele-education—across a vast coverage area spanning from Eastern Europe to South Asia.
Remote Sensing for National Development: The PRSS Program
In parallel with its communications ambitions, SUPARCO advanced its Earth observation capabilities, evolving from the experimental Badr-B to the operational Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS) program. This initiative was aimed squarely at using space-based imagery for national development, resource management, and environmental monitoring.
A significant milestone was achieved on July 9, 2018, with the dual launch of two satellites on a single Chinese rocket: PRSS-1 and PakTES-1A. This launch powerfully illustrated Pakistan’s two-pronged strategy of international collaboration and indigenous development.
- PRSS-1, the primary payload, is a powerful optical satellite built by the China Academy of Space Technology. It provides high-resolution imagery (less than one meter), enabling detailed applications in land mapping, agricultural assessment, disaster management, urban planning, and the monitoring of large-scale infrastructure projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
- PakTES-1A, the secondary payload, was an experimental satellite entirely designed and developed by SUPARCO engineers in Pakistan. Its successful operation was a clear demonstration of the country’s growing self-reliance in satellite technology and served as a vital stepping stone for more complex, locally-built spacecraft.
Ground Infrastructure: The Eyes and Ears of the Program
A space program is incomplete without the terrestrial infrastructure to support its orbital assets. Recognizing this, SUPARCO invested in developing a network of ground facilities. Key among these are the satellite ground stations located in Rawat (near the capital, Islamabad), Karachi, and Lahore. These stations serve as the nerve centers for the space program. They perform the critical functions of telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C), allowing operators to communicate with and control the satellites.
Furthermore, these stations are equipped with large antennas to receive and archive vast amounts of data, not only from Pakistan’s own satellites like PRSS-1 but also from international systems such as the French SPOT and European Pleiades satellites, for which SUPARCO acts as a regional data distributor. To translate this raw data into actionable information, SUPARCO established specialized centers like the National Center for Remote Sensing and Geo-Informatics (NCRG). These centers process the satellite imagery to create practical products and services for various government agencies and private sector users, supporting everything from crop yield forecasts and water resource management to urban planning and geological surveying.
A Renewed Ambition: Recent Missions and Indigenous Growth
In recent years, Pakistan’s space program has entered a new phase of accelerated activity, marked by high-profile missions that capture public imagination and steady progress in developing sovereign technological capabilities. These efforts demonstrate a maturing, two-pronged strategy: leveraging deep international partnerships for ambitious “prestige” missions while simultaneously investing in the core, independent “workhorse” capabilities needed for long-term sustainability. This dual approach allows the program to achieve headline-grabbing successes and gain valuable experience in advanced operations, all while building the domestic industrial base required for genuine self-reliance.
The iCube-Qamar Lunar Mission: A Historic First
A landmark moment for Pakistan’s space ambitions occurred on May 3, 2024, with the successful launch of the iCube-Qamar lunar orbiter. This mission represented Pakistan’s first foray into deep-space exploration. The spacecraft, also known as iCube-Q, was a tiny 7 kg CubeSat developed by Pakistan’s Institute of Space Technology (IST) in close collaboration with SUPARCO and China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
The mission was a smart and opportunistic use of international partnership. iCube-Q flew as an auxiliary payload aboard China’s Chang’e-6 mission, a complex and historic endeavor to collect samples from the far side of the Moon. By piggybacking on this major mission, Pakistan was able to send its own probe to the Moon at a fraction of the cost of a standalone mission, becoming only the sixth country to do so. The CubeSat successfully separated from the main Chinese craft, entered lunar orbit, and transmitted its first images of the Moon’s surface, marking a significant technical and symbolic victory for the nation’s scientists and engineers.
Enhancing Connectivity with PakSat-MM1
Just weeks after the lunar mission, on May 30, 2024, SUPARCO followed up with another major launch: the PakSat Multi-Mission 1 (MM1) satellite. This advanced geostationary satellite, another product of collaboration with China, is designed to significantly boost Pakistan’s communication infrastructure.
PakSat-MM1 is a high-power satellite equipped with transponders in multiple frequency bands (C, Ku, Ka, and L bands), making it a versatile platform for a wide array of services. Its primary goal is to provide high-speed internet connectivity and reliable communication services across the entire country, with a particular focus on bridging the digital divide in remote and underserved regions. The satellite is expected to play a key role in supporting the growth of e-commerce, strengthening e-governance services, and laying the groundwork for the future rollout of 5G technology in Pakistan.
Developing Self-Reliance: The EO-1 Satellite
While missions like iCube-Q and PakSat-MM1 showcase the benefits of international partnership, another critical focus of the renewed program is achieving greater self-reliance. A pivotal step in this direction is the development of the Electro-Optical-1 (EO-1) satellite, scheduled for launch in January 2025.
The significance of EO-1 lies in its origin. It is heralded as the first fully indigenous electro-optical satellite, designed and manufactured entirely by SUPARCO’s own engineers in Pakistan. This achievement is the culmination of years of capacity-building, starting from the early Badr satellites and progressing through the experience gained with PakTES-1A. EO-1 is designed to provide high-resolution imagery for a range of national needs, including precision agriculture, environmental monitoring, urban planning, and disaster management. Its successful deployment will represent a major leap forward in Pakistan’s journey toward technological independence and will be a cornerstone of the country’s operational Earth observation capabilities.
The Path to 2047: Pakistan’s Future in Space
Looking forward, Pakistan has laid out a clear and ambitious roadmap for its space program, articulated through long-term strategic plans and a new national policy framework. This future vision represents a fundamental shift from a historically state-centric, security-focused model to a more open, national “ecosystem” approach. The goal is no longer just for a government agency to launch satellites, but for the nation to cultivate a vibrant, self-sustaining space industry. However, the success of this vision is contingent on overcoming significant economic and technological hurdles.
The National Space Programme 2047
The cornerstone of Pakistan’s future in space is the National Space Programme 2047, a long-term vision that evolved from an earlier plan known as Space Programme 2040. This strategic roadmap outlines a comprehensive plan to develop a robust and self-reliant space infrastructure over the next two decades. The core objectives include:
- Developing a Satellite Fleet: The program plans to design, build, and launch a constellation of at least five Geostationary (GEO) communication satellites and six Low Earth Orbit (LEO) remote sensing satellites by 2047. This will ensure the replacement of aging assets like Paksat-1R and expand the country’s capacity to meet growing demands for data and connectivity.
- Achieving National Goals: The vision explicitly links space activities to national development priorities. The satellite fleet is intended to be a tool for enhancing food and water security, managing natural disasters, improving urban planning, protecting the environment, and strengthening national security.
The Quest for Indigenous Launch Capability
A persistent challenge and a key long-term objective for Pakistan’s space program is the development of an indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV). Despite its six-decade history, the country has not yet acquired the ability to launch its own satellites into orbit, remaining dependent on foreign partners—primarily China—for this critical service. Leaders and officials have expressed the aspiration to one day launch Pakistani satellites from a domestic spaceport, but acknowledge that this is a technologically and financially demanding goal that will require sustained investment and effort.
Human Spaceflight and the Chinese Space Station
Adding a new dimension to its ambitions, Pakistan plans to send its first astronaut into space. This will be accomplished through the deep-seated partnership with China. An agreement is in place for Pakistani astronaut candidates to be trained at the Astronaut Centre of China, with the goal of flying short-term missions aboard the Tiangong space station. This collaboration is notable as it will mark the first time China has trained an international astronaut for a mission to its station, highlighting the unique depth of the Sino-Pak strategic relationship in space.
Fostering a Space Ecosystem: The National Space Policy
To enable these ambitious goals, Pakistan has put in place a new policy and regulatory architecture. The approval of the National Space Policy in 2023 and the establishment of the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) in 2024 signal a strategic shift toward creating a broader space ecosystem. The key pillars of this new approach include:
- Private Sector Engagement: The policy actively encourages the participation of private companies in space activities, from building satellite components to providing data services, with the aim of fostering innovation and commercialization.
- Human Resource Development: There is a strong emphasis on promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education to create a skilled workforce capable of supporting a domestic space industry.
- International Compliance: The framework seeks to align Pakistan’s space activities with international laws and treaties, ensuring safe and sustainable operations in orbit.
The overarching ambition is to transform Pakistan’s space sector from a government-run program into a self-sustaining, “space-enabled knowledge economy”. While the policy framework for this renaissance is now in place, its practical realization will depend on consistent political will, significant economic investment to overcome funding shortfalls, and the successful cultivation of a private sector that is still in its nascent stages. The vision is clear, but the path forward remains steep.
Summary
The trajectory of Pakistan’s space program is a compelling narrative of ambition, resilience, and strategic adaptation. It began with a pioneering burst of activity in the 1960s, where a unique partnership with the United States enabled Pakistan to become one of the first nations in Asia to reach space with its Rehbar sounding rockets. This promising start, however, gave way to a long period of stagnation as national priorities shifted decisively toward the development of a nuclear deterrent, causing the program to lose momentum, funding, and its scientific focus.
The revival of the program from the 1990s onward was defined by a pragmatic and foundational pivot toward a new strategic partner: China. This collaboration was instrumental in launching Pakistan’s first satellites, the Badr series, and has since become the cornerstone of its space efforts. It has enabled the development of a modern and operational fleet of satellites, including the Paksat series for geostationary communications and the PRSS series for high-resolution Earth observation, which provide tangible benefits for national development and security.
Today, the program is experiencing a renewed sense of purpose, marked by recent high-profile achievements like the iCube-Qamar lunar mission and a deepening commitment to indigenous manufacturing, exemplified by the development of the EO-1 satellite. Looking to the future, the National Space Programme 2047 and the new National Space Policy articulate a clear vision: to evolve from a state-run agency into a dynamic national space ecosystem. This ambitious plan involves expanding the satellite fleet, sending an astronaut into space, and fostering private sector participation, with the ultimate goal of achieving greater self-reliance. Throughout its history, Pakistan’s space program has continually navigated the complex interplay of geopolitics, national security imperatives, and economic realities. Its story is one of lost potential regained and a persistent drive to carve out a place in the final frontier.
