Pakistan's Space Program

The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), best known as the SUPARCO (Urdu:ا سپا ر كو or پاکستان خلائی و بالا فضائی تحقیقاتی ماموریہ) is an executive agency of the Government of Pakistan, responsible for nation's public and civil space program and aeronautics and aerospace research. It was established in its modern form in 1961 by an executive order of President Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan on the advice of its founding director, Abdus Salam. The agency is part of Pakistan Defence Forces's Strategic Plans Division (SPD) under the current control of Pakistan Army. The SPD is headed by the Army's retired three star general Lieutenant-General Khalid Kadwai. SPD headquarters are located at the Pakistan Air Force controlled Chaklala Cantonment.

The executive figure of the agency is Major-General Ahmed Bilal who is heading the agency as the current chairman of SUPARCO, while he is also serving his tenure as Colonel Commandant of Pakistan Army Corps of Signals Engineering.

Please see attached pdf for a detailed presentation on SUPARCO.
Load Previous Replies
  • up

    Riaz Haq

    China To Build #Space Centre, More #Satellites For #Pakistan. #China has provided space product & #technology cooperation, satellite carrying or launching services for many countries like #SaudiArabia, Pakistan,#Argentina, #Brazil, #Canada and #Luxembourg.
    https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/china-to-build-space-centre-more-sa...

    --------

    Full Text: China's Space Program: A 2021 Perspective


    http://www.china.org.cn/china/2022-01/28/content_78016843.htm

    "It will give priority to developing communications satellites for Pakistan and to cooperating on the construction of the Pakistan Space Center and Egypt's Space City"

    "China has increased the BeiDou system's global service capacity by establishing BeiDou cooperation forum mechanisms with the League of Arab States and the African Union, completing the first overseas BeiDou center in Tunisia, and conducting satellite navigation cooperation with countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, South Africa, Algeria, and Thailand"


    ----------

    Together with relevant partners China has developed and successfully launched the China-France Oceanography Satellite, China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite 04A, and the Ethiopian Remote-Sensing Satellite. It has launched the Student Small Satellites (SSS) for APSCO. It is jointly developing the MisrSat-2 remote-sensing satellite.

    · China completed the in-orbit delivery of the Pakistan Remote-Sensing Satellite (PRSS-1), Venezuelan Remote-Sensing Satellite (VRSS-2), Sudan Remote-Sensing Satellite (SRSS-1), and the Algerian Communications Satellite (Alcomsat-1).

    · China has provided satellite carrying or launching services for countries including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and Luxembourg.

    · China has conducted space product and technology cooperation with countries including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Argentina, Pakistan, and Nigeria.

    · China has helped developing countries boost their space science and research. It has built satellite research and development infrastructure with countries including Egypt, Pakistan and Nigeria. It has pressed ahead with the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative Space Information Corridor, and opened China's space facilities to developing countries.

    • up

      Riaz Haq

      How the algorithm tipped the balance in Ukraine

      https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/19/palantir-algorithm-data-ukraine-war/

      Vast data battlefield
      The “kill chain” that I saw demonstrated in Kyiv is replicated on a vast scale by Ukraine’s NATO partners from a command post outside the country. The system is built around the same software platform developed by Palantir that I saw in Kyiv, which can allow the United States and its allies to share information from diverse sources — ranging from commercial satellite imagery to the West’s most secret intelligence tools.

      This is algorithmic warfare, as Karp says. Using a digital model of the battlefield, commanders can penetrate the notorious “fog of war.” By applying artificial intelligence to analyze sensor data, NATO advisers outside Ukraine can quickly answer the essential questions of combat: Where are allied forces? Where is the enemy? Which weapons will be most effective against enemy positions? They can then deliver precise enemy location information to Ukrainian commanders in the field. And after action, they can assess whether their intelligence was accurate and update the system.

      Data powers this new engine of war — and the system is constantly updating. With each kinetic strike, the battle damage assessments are fed back into the digital network to strengthen the predictive models. It’s not an automated battlefield, and it still has layers and stovepipes. The system I saw in Kyiv uses a limited array of sensors and AI tools, some developed by Ukraine, partly because of classification limits. The bigger, outside system can process highly classified data securely, with cyber protections and restricted access, then feed enemy location data to Ukraine for action.

      To envision how this works in practice, think about Ukraine’s recent success recapturing Kherson, on the Black Sea coast. The Ukrainians had precise intelligence about where the Russian were moving and the ability to strike with accurate long-range fire. This was possible because they had intelligence about the enemy’s location, processed by NATO from outside the country and then sent to commanders on the ground. Armed with that information, the Ukrainians could take the offensive — moving, communicating and adjusting quickly to Russian defensive maneuvers and counterattacks.

      And when Ukrainian forces hit Russian command nodes or supply depots, it’s a near certainty that they have received enemy location data this way. Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, told me that this electronic kill chain was “especially useful during the liberation of Kherson, Izium, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions.”

      What makes this system truly revolutionary is that it aggregates data from commercial vendors. Using a Palantir tool called MetaConstellation, Ukraine and its allies can see what commercial data is currently available about a given battle space. The available data includes a surprisingly wide array, from traditional optical pictures to synthetic aperture radar that can see through clouds, to thermal images that can detect artillery or missile fire.

      To check out the range of available data, just visit the internet. Companies selling optical and synthetic aperture radar imagery include Maxar, Airbus, ICEYE and Capella. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sells simple thermal imaging meant to detect fires but that can also register artillery explosions.

      In our Kherson example, Palantir assesses that roughly 40 commercial satellites will pass over the area in a 24-hour period. Palantir normally uses fewer than a dozen commercial satellite vendors, but it can expand that range to draw imagery from a total of 306 commercial satellites that can focus to 3.3 meters. Soldiers in battle can use handheld tablets to request more coverage if they need it. According to a British official, Western military and intelligence services work closely with Ukrainians on the ground to facilitate this sharing of information.

      • up

        Riaz Haq

        The STRATCOM Bureau
        @OSPSF
        BREAKING:

        Pakistan signs $406.4 million dollar contract with China’s PIESAT, a leading satellite manufacturer, to build a Pakistani satellite manufacturing facility, and manufacture an orbital satellite constellation for launch with SUPARCO.

        Under the agreement, PIESAT will assist Pakistan in constructing an integrated satellite system for global real-time communication and remote sensing. The first phase includes the launch and operation of 20 satellites, the construction of a satellite manufacturing facility, and the development of supporting software. Piesat will also provide technical support to help Pakistan develop independent capabilities in satellite manufacturing, operations, and applications.

        https://x.com/OSPSF/status/1966185602002436499

        ----------

        Pakistan, China sign $4bn MoUs in agriculture

        https://www.dawn.com/news/1940384

        ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have inked more than two dozen memorandums of understanding (MoU) worth $4 billion in the agriculture sector, focusing on mechanisation, seed development, smart farming and precision agriculture for data-driven productivity gains.

        The MoUs were signed on Saturday during the Pak-China Business-to-Business Conference in Beijing, witnessed by Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain.

        Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hussain emphasised that these areas are crucial for strengthening Pakistan’s food security while also opening new avenues for bilateral cooperation.

        The one-day conference, held on the sidelines of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China, featured an opening and closing ceremony as well as multiple business-to-business sessions. The minister participated in a dozen meetings with leading Chinese and Pakistani agri-industry players.

        These included Dayu working in irrigation sector, Jessica EV, PIESAT, and LOVOL in agricultural machinery sector, Sanyang Company Xinj­iang, Jinghua Seed Ind­ustry Company Ltd, Guard Agricultural Research and Services (Pvt) Lim­ited, and China State Engineering Construction Corporation GDSP, among others.

        Chinese media reports said shares of PIESAT surged after the Chinese aerospace firm signed a $406.4m agreement with Pakistan — nearly double the company’s total revenue last year — to help build a satellite constellation for better communication and Earth data.

        Under the agreement, PIESAT will assist Pakistan in constructing an integrated satellite system for global real-time communication and remote sensing. The first phase includes the launch and operation of 20 satellites, the construction of a satellite manufacturing facility, and the development of supporting software. PIESAT will also provide technical support to help Pakistan develop independent capabilities in satellite manufacturing, operations, and applications.

        Highlighting China’s $215bn annual agricultural import market, the minister said that Pakistan can play a significant role in supplying tropical and temperate fruits, vegetables, and cereal crops. He stressed that Pakistan, as China’s closest neighbour and a “brotherly country,” offers geographical proximity and competitive pricing advantages compared to imports from Brazil and other Western countries.

        He praised the initiatives of both Pakistani and Chinese agricultural companies under the leadership of PM Shehbaz, reaffirming Islamabad’s commitment to fostering long-term agri-sector part­n­erships with Beijing