Pakistan is poised to make its mark in the international space research arena with the launch of its first space mission, iCube Q.
Islamabad: Pakistan to launch first mission in international space research race. Scheduled to depart on May 3 from China’s Hainan Space Site alongside Beijing’s own Chang’e 6 mission, iCube Q marks Pakistan’s entry into lunar exploration.
The launch, set for 12:50pm, will be broadcast live on the Institute of Space Technology’s (IST) website and social media platforms. The iCube Q, developed in collaboration with the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission and Shanghai University of China, will orbit the Moon, equipped with two optical cameras to capture images for research purposes.
Part of China’s sixth lunar exploration mission, Chang’e-6, iCube Q’s primary objective aligns with its Chinese counterpart’s mission to collect dust and rock samples from the moon’s South Pole. The iCube Q will be accompanied by payloads from France, Italy, and Sweden.
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The miniature lunar mission signifies Pakistan’s foray into space exploration, showcasing the nation’s capabilities in space technology and research. The historic launch signifies a significant milestone for Pakistan’s space program, opening doors for future advancements and contributions to the global space community.
The Moon is Earth‘s only natural satellite. It orbits at an average distance of 384,400 km (238,900 mi), about 30 times the diameter of Earth. Over time Earth’s gravity has caused tidal locking, causing the same side of the Moon to always face Earth. Because of this, the lunar day and the lunar month are the same length, at 29.5 Earth days. The Moon’s gravitational pull – and to a lesser extent, the Sun‘s – are the main drivers of Earth’s tides.
In geophysical terms the Moon is a planetary-mass object or satellite planet. Its mass is 1.2% that of the Earth, and its diameter is 3,474 km (2,159 mi), roughly one-quarter of Earth’s (about as wide as Australia.) Within the Solar System, it is the largest and most massive satellite in relation to its parent planet, the fifth largest and most massive moon overall, and larger and more massive than all known dwarf planets. Its surface gravity is about one sixth of Earth’s, about half of that of Mars, and the second highest among all Solar System moons, after Jupiter‘s moon Io. The body of the Moon is differentiated and terrestrial, with no significant hydrosphere, atmosphere, or magnetic field. It formed 4.51 billion years ago, not long after Earth’s formation, out of the debris from a giant impact between Earth and a hypothesized Mars-sized body called Theia.
