ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Thursday, launched its second satellite this month - this time Multi Mission Communication Satellite - from China- which aims to provide “widespread” internet access to remote areas of the country. The PAKSAT-MM1 was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre (XSLC), according to Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).

The satellite’s launch is in accordance with National Space Programme 2047, SUPARCO said in a statement.

“PAKSAT-MM1 was conceived keeping in sight the growing needs of the country in the broad-spectrum of communication and connectivity,” the statement said.

“This satellite project is a hallmark of technological cooperation between China and Pakistan,” the statement added.

Based on advanced communication technologies, PAKSAT-MM1 will play a pivotal role in the socio-economic uplift of the country, SUPARCO said.

“It will prove to be a stepping stone in the transformation of the country into digital Pakistan,” it stated, adding that the “dream of providing widespread internet access to remote areas” was being materialised.

SUPARCO said the High Throughput System (HTS) technology onboard PAKSAT-MM1 will substantially boost connectivity and will reshape the future of satellite communication in Pakistan.

The satellite will ensure affordable bandwidth with higher reach within the country that would benefit sectors such as e-commerce, telemedicine, e-governance among others, it said.

PAKSAT-MM1, SUPARCO said, is equipped with SBAS (Pakistan Space Based Augmentation System)— making Pakistan the 11th country in the world to have its own SBAS— after India, the United States, Russia, China, Japan, Europe, South Korea, Australia, Nigeria and Algeria.

In his message, Chairman SUPARCO Yousaf Khan appreciated the “untiring efforts of team of engineers from both countries for the successful completion of project.”

SUPARCO, being Pakistan’s national space agency, is committed to the cause of socio-economic uplift of the country through advancement in space sciences, he said.

Earlier, on this month’s third, Pakistan launched its lunar satellite— ICUBE-Qamar— from China’s Hainan province.

According to Pakistan’s Institute of Space Technology (IST), ICUBE-Q has been designed and developed by the IST in collaboration with China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), and support from SUPARCO.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024