THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar mission in the form of the iCube-Qamar ‘cubesat’. The orbiter, which is Pakistan’s first deep-space mission, is currently making its way through the cosmos as part of the Chinese Chang’e-6 lunar probe, and is due to be deployed on May 8. The Chang’e-6 mission itself intends to break new ground by obtaining samples from the far side of the moon. Along with Pakistan’s orbiter, the Chinese mission is carrying payloads from Italy and France. The Pakistani mission, which seeks to capture images from the lunar surface, was made possible through collaboration between Islamabad’s Institute of Space Technology, Suparco, and a Chinese university.

This event should serve as a reminder that despite the considerable odds, Pakistan — with dedication and commitment to education and science — can participate in the exploration of space, and contribute to global knowledge about what lies beyond the confines of our planet. While Pakistan entered the ‘space race’ early, launching the Rehber-1 rocket, with American help, in the 1960s, it has been a bumpy ride since. Numerous reasons have been attributed to our lack of progress in the realm of space exploration and research. These include bureaucratic disinterest and the induction of non-scientists and unqualified individuals to head our space agency. Resource constraints, too, have hampered our efforts, as Pakistan, unlike states richer than itself, cannot spare the funds for space exploration. There is also the fact that the sanctions the country has faced linked to our nuclear weapons have affected the space programme. But perhaps the most crucial reason for the limited success of Pakistan’s space programme is that the state has failed to promote a culture that prioritises learning and research. Yet as the launch of cubesat shows, Pakistan has the capability to participate in this exclusive domain. What is needed is official encouragement of scientists and promising minds that wish to explore the cosmos, particularly by investing in science and mathematics starting from the school level. Though Pakistan may not yet be able to afford larger projects, such as sending people into space, it can benefit by launching exploratory probes and satellites that can contribute to civilian needs such as communications and remote sensing, as well as scientific research.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024