A small Pakistani satellite has imaged the sun and moon from lunar orbit after catching a ride with China’s Chang’e-6 mission to explore the far side of the moon.
China launched Chang’e-6 on May 3, with the aim of taking and delivering samples from the Apollo crater on the far side of the moon Soil for analysis. The China-Pakistan ICUBE-Q was released from the spacecraft on May 8.
The small 7-kilogram satellite then took and collected images of the moon and sun magnetic field facts. a tertiary goaThe imaging of the Chang’e-6 spacecraft was apparently unsuccessful, based on the publicly released data.
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A data transfer ceremony took place in Beijing on May 10. The data included the first photographs taken by the satellite the sun and the moon. Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), presented the data to Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil-ur-Rahman Hashmi, symbolizing joint efforts in space exploration. room technology and exploration between China and Pakistan.
“This is a very huge and momentous event for us because this is the very first moon mission the moon for Pakistan. And with the help of Chinese friends, it is a great day for us,” Gilani said, according to CCTV+ report.
‘We are looking forward to it [cooperation] of all areas of technology here, be it remote sensing, navigation or communications satellites. Then we have a number of launches from China and that shows the good cooperation.”
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The Pakistan Institute of Space Technology and China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University jointly developed the satellite. The spacecraft furthers cooperation between the two, including with Pakistan to enrol to that of China International lunar research station (ILRS).
Ge Ping, deputy director of CNSA’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, said China has also received an application from Pakistan to contribute to the future. Chang’e-8 mission.
Meanwhile, Chang’e-6 is in orbit around the moon preparing for his landing attempt. CNSA has not provided a date for the landing, but it is expected around early June.
