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Permalink Reply by Riaz Haq on August 7, 2026 at 8:22am

Pakistan is moving forward with a Rs37.13 billion project to establish the Pakistan Space Centre (PSC), sponsored by SUPARCO, aiming to build domestic capability for designing, assembling, integrating, and testing satellites.Project DetailsSponsor: Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO)Estimated Cost: Rs37.130 billionCurrent Status: Approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and referred to ECNEC for final clearanceCore Objective: Develop local capability for satellite manufacturing and testing to reduce reliance on foreign facilitiesBroader Initiative: Part of the long-term National Space Programme (NSP)-2047

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"The project is a key component of the National Space Programme (NSP)-2047," (Minister Ahsan) Iqbal said. "It will strengthen Pakistan's self-reliance in space technology by enabling cost-effective development of satellites to meet strategic, scientific and socio-economic requirements."


https://tribune.com.pk/story/2622493/cdwp-approves-space-centre-pro...

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Permalink Reply by Riaz Haq on August 15, 2026 at 10:10am

Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) on Thursday announced “Jinnah-1” as the official name of the country’s first lunar rover.

https://www.dawn.com/news/2022575

The rover is scheduled to be sent to the Moon in 2029 as part of China’s Chang’e-8 mission, where it will conduct scientific research at the lunar south pole, Suparco said.

The Moon’s south pole is known for its challenging terrain and potential to yield significant scientific discoveries.

In a ceremony held in Islamabad, Suparco said that the name was selected from 4,000 proposals received in a countrywide competition.


Seven participants had proposed the name “Jinnah-1” and the winner was selected through a lucky draw, according to a statement from Suparco.

Tayyab Karim, a 17-year-old from Bahawalnagar, was declared the winner for proposing the name, Suparco said.

The name pays tribute to Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and symbolises “Pakistan’s resolve, progress and new space horizons”, Suparco Chairman said.

Jinnah-1 will study plasma, radiation and the lunar surface’s geology, as well as conduct key experiments related to future lunar research and the prospect of human presence on the Moon, Suparco said.

Suparco announced the collaboration with China’s Chang’e-8 mission in 2024.

“This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Pakistan’s space programme, as Suparco’s indigenous rover will be part of the mission to explore the lunar surface,” the space agency said at the time.

Nasa is targeting 2028 for the first-ever landing of astronauts on the Moon’s south pole, as part of Artemis IV, seeking to beat China’s planned crewed mission, Chang’e-8, to the same lunar region.

In 2023, India managed to land a craft — the unmanned Chandrayaan-3 — near the Moon’s south pole.

Its landing came days after a Russian probe crashed in the same region and four years since the previous Indian attempt failed at the last moment.

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Permalink Reply by Riaz Haq 4 hours ago

Sushant Singh
@SushantSin
We ought to learn to tamper the rhetoric and look at the reality. And it is not always great, even in space rocket launches.

https://x.com/SushantSin/status/2090663533373747224?s=20


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India’s Rocket Launch Costs Over $13k Per Kg, Four Times Higher Than US
The findings highlight a challenge for India's commercial space ambitions, even as private companies begin entering the launch market

https://www.outlookbusiness.com/deeptech/indias-rocket-launch-costs...

ndia’s average rocket launch cost stood at $13,302 per kg, the highest among six major space markets
The figure was more than four times the US cost of $3,225 per kg
Limited launch frequency and smaller rocket payload capacities are key factors behind the gap

India has the highest rocket launch costs among six major spacefaring markets, with the average cost of placing payload into low Earth orbit estimated at $13,302 per kg at the end of 2025 — more than four times the US figure of $3,225 per kg, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Economics Letters.
First reported by Mint, the study by Alessio Terzi of the University of Cambridge and Francesco Nicoli of Politecnico di Torino placed India above the European Union, Russia, China and Japan in terms of launch costs.

Europe was the next most expensive market at $9,897 per kg, followed by Russia at $6,682, China at $5,809 and Japan at $5,287, the study said.The research analysed more than 6,740 rocket launches between 1960 and 2025 to assess how accumulated experience and launch activity affect costs.

India's estimates were based on launches coordinated by NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), using a mix of domestic launch vehicles, as per Mint.

The findings highlight a challenge for India's commercial space ambitions, even as private companies begin entering the launch market. Skyroot Aerospace's first private commercial rocket launch on July 18 marked an important milestone, but lower costs may take time to materialise.

Skyroot chief executive Pawan Kumar Chandana had told Mint in October 2025 that the company expected to generate at least $4 million from each launch of its Vikram-1 rocket. At its maximum payload capacity of 350 kg to low Earth orbit, this would translate to about $11,000 per kg.

Scale and launch frequency remain major advantages for the US. According to the study, the United States accounted for more than 80% of global payload sent to orbit in 2025.

The researchers also found that since 2010, only the US and Europe had demonstrated statistically significant reductions in costs linked to accumulated launch experience, with the US improving faster.

SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 can carry up to 22,800 kg to low Earth orbit, compared with the 10,000-kg capacity of India's LVM3, which was not reusable. India completed four successful launches in 2025, while SpaceX reportedly carried out eight successful missions in August alone.

The study suggests that increasing launch frequency, payload capacity and technological capability will be crucial if India is to narrow its cost gap and build a competitive commercial launch market.

"The very high figure for India might be counterintuitive as it stands in stark contrast with the narrative of the country’s frugal space programme. However, this is a result of focussing on small rocket sizes, which implies that, albeit being low by international standards, fixed costs get amortised over a limited payload," Terzi and Nicoli wrote, as per Mint.

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