Pakistan's maiden lunar orbiter sends first images
Pakistan’s maiden lunar orbiter sends first images
NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s maiden lunar orbiter sent the first images of the sun and the moon, days after it was launched as part of China’s moon mission, it was announced on Friday.
The images were revealed during a ceremony held at the China National Space Agency (CNSA) to celebrate the successful mission, as stated by Maria Tariq, spokesperson of Pakistan’s national space agency Suparco.
She mentioned that the pictures were officially given to Pakistan’s ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, during the data handover event in Beijing.
At 16:14 (1:14 pm Pakistan time) on May 8, the Pakistani CubeSat, one of the international payloads carried by the Chang’e-6 mission, “separated from the orbiter near the far moon point of the 12-hour large elliptical orbit around the moon, and then successfully captured the first image.
Pakistan’s CubeSat project achieved the set goal of “successfully separating and obtaining telemetry’ and achieved complete success,” the CNSA announcement said.
The first image displayed the sun shining brightly; the second image depicted a sparkling half moon, while the third image showed the moon on the left and the sun on the right, as per the images shared online by CNSA.
The module was designed by Islamabad’s Institute of Space Technology (IST) in collaboration with China’s Shanghai University (SJTU) and Suparco.
The cube satellite or cubesat is a small satellite known for its compact size and standardized cubic design. They assist in gathering valuable data to drive scientific progress and innovation.
Pakistan had the chance to send the lunar orbiter into space when it was provided by the CNSA through the Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organisation (APSCO) to be included in the Chang’e-6 mission.
Meanwhile, the news of the first lunar orbit sending back images has filled the country with pride despite facing tough economic and security challenges. The social media was flooded with posts, most of which shared images and messages brimming with pride.
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