Islamabad: Pakistan’s national space agency has signed an agreement with Turkish Aerospace to jointly develop communication satellites and other space projects.
Pakistan Space and Upper Research Commission (SUPARCO) and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) have announced collaboration in the use of space for civilian purposes. “Within the scope of the agreement, we will carry out joint studies on electronic communication satellites and other space projects,” the TAI said on Twitter.
The joint manufacturing of satellites is expected to boost space research and technologies. Commenting on the development, Fahad Ibne Masood, international aviation analyst, told Gulf News that the “collaboration will be mutually beneficial for both the organizations and countries.
With the Turkish expertise, Pakistan can significantly improve its existing space technologies as well as research and development.” Investments in aerospace technology “is critical for Pakistan to develop and adopt applications for peaceful purposes, commercial space exploration and also to be prepared for the future as space is now final frontier in all eventualities.”
SUPARCO is Pakistan’s national space agency mainly responsible for conducting peaceful research in space technology and promoting the technology for the socio-economic uplift of the country.
Badr-1 was Pakistan’s first indigenously developed and manufactured digital communications and experimental satellite which marked Pakistan’s successful footprint in space in 1990. Pakistan launched its first communications satellite PAKSAT-1R in August 2011 which marked the defining moment in the country’s space program. In 2018, Pakistan launched a remote-sensing satellite (PRSS-1) and a technology evaluation satellite (PakTES-1A) after SUPARCO signed a space cooperation agreement with China.
SUPARCO has initiated optical remote sensing application satellites program (PRSC-EOS) to build and launch optical remote sensing satellites by the year 2023. The launch of PakSAT-MM1R satellite is slated for 2024. In November 2021, Pakistan’s top economic body ECNEC approved SUPARCO’s optical remote sensing satellite (PRSS-2) project worth Rs. 27.9 billion to build the country’s indigenous capacity in the fields of space technology.
