Space Plan

In Pakistan, for the purpose of space science research and development, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) was established in 1961, and it started functioning from 1964. This national organisation with a high degree of autonomy, which implements the space policy of Pakistan, was established by the Space Research Council (SRC), whose president is the prime minister. The commission comprises the chairman and four members for space technology, space research, space electronics and finance, respectively.1

SUPARCO is headquartered at the Arabian Sea port of Karachi in southern Pakistan, with additional facilities at the University of the Punjab at Lahore. SUPARCO defines its primary mission as earth imaging and upper atmosphere research. Its programmes include the development and launch of sounding rockets and identification of satellite technology necessities for remote sensing and commu­nications. Pakistan claims that the main motive behind SUPARCO is building of an infrastructure for both aeronautics and space research, with the means at hand.[37] [38]

This Pakistan’s space agency had a low-profile existence for the first 30-35 years since its inception. Its progress in the research field also was not very significant.

The commission started publishing its research achievements and other works of significance in the field of space technology through its quarterly journal, Space Horizon, in 1983, but ceased the publication in June 1991. The other quarterly journal, Suparco Times, published since 1982, met with the same fate and ceased publication in March 1994.[39] However, in the recent past, the organisation has started maintaining its website (www. suparco. gov. pk), giving detailed inputs about its research activities and achievements.

SUPARCO began launching imported sounding rockets in 1962 and has fired small sounding rockets on suborbital science flights from launch pads at its Sonmiani Beach (Maini Beach) flight-range, 58 km west of Karachi. By the 1970s, SUPARCO had developed the ability to fabricate rocket motors from raw materials at a solid-propellant manufacturing plant. By the early 1980s, SUPARCO announced plans for the development of the Hatf-1 and Hatf-2 surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. The organisation’s solid-propellant production facilities were enlarged by 1987 to support this effort. Tests of the Hatf-1 and Hatf-2 were announced in April 1989, and the Hatf-2 was displayed publicly during a Pakistan Day Joint Services Parade later that year.[40] Pakistan had imported ballistic missiles from China since the late 1980s. Pakistan’s then Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, with reference to Chinese M-11 missiles, in a statement to the Pakistani Senate on August 26, 1993, stated, ‘These missiles were bought keeping in mind Pakistan’s security needs’ which he went on to justify in relation to missiles across the borders from Afghanistan [1]. Chinese help in providing missile assistance to Pakistan was further extended towards developing a rocket factory. For 5 years, the American intelligence agency CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) had carefully tracked the flow of Chinese M-11 missile components into Pakistan. At the end of 1995, they discovered that ‘China was not only selling missiles to Pakistan but was also helping to build a factory to manufacture them’ [2].In 1989,Hatf-1 and Hatf-2 missiles were fired to ranges of 80 and 300 km, respectively. According to Pakistani sources,[41] during the same period, Pakistan and China had signed a 10-year cooperation agreement in defence science, technology and industry, including joint procurement, research and development, production and technology transfer. SUPARCO oversees the production and testing of sounding rockets, with an average of three or four launches per year and carrying high altitude and ionosphere research payloads. Pakistan’s development of locally made sounding rockets continues with a long­term goal of launching small satellites [3].

As compared to launch technology, SUPARCO’s journey in the field of satellite technology started very late. SUPARCO first built a small amateur radio satellite in the late 1980s with the help of the Pakistan Amateur Radio Society. But, due to the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle, the launch of Pakistan’s first satellite was delayed. The satellite was finally launched in orbit (low earth orbit—LEO) by a

Chinese Long March LM-2E rocket in July 1990. This satellite was formally called the Badr-1 satellite, after the Urdu language word for ‘new moon’. Badr-1 provided Pakistani scientists valuable experience in telemetry, uplink/downlink and other satellite-related technologies. Badr-1 provided the platform for Pakistan to develop satellite technology further.[42] The satellite successfully completed its designed life (it weighed 52 kg and had an orbital lifetime of 6 months). The design for this micro-satellite was apparently based on the University of Surrey platform1 [4].

For this mission, Pakistan had very limited objectives like testing the perfor­mance of satellite subsystems in space environment and performing experiments in real-time voice and data communications between two user ground stations.[43]

The success of Badr-1 is largely recognised as a success of the combined efforts of a few Islamic countries. The Inter-Islamic Network on Space Sciences and Technology (ISNET) was founded in 1986, in order to promote the advancement of space sciences and technology in the countries of the Islamic world. The member countries include Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Jordan, Syria, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Kuwait, Senegal and Cameroon. It is headed by the chairman of SUPARCO. Headquartered in SUPARCO headquarters, Karachi, it has been responsible directly and indirectly for the fabrication, processing and launch of the Muslim Ummah’s first experimental satellite, Badr-1.[44] It was a historical event not only for the people of Pakistan but also for the entire Muslim Ummah as it was the first satellite built by any Islamic country based on indigenous resources and manpower.[45]

However, SUPARCO could not maintain the pace for further developments because of the sanctions regime. In June 1991, the Bush Administration imposed sanctions on China and SUPARCO for what Washington described as ‘significant transfers of M-11 missile technology and components’. The sanctions were waived in March 1992, when China promised to abide by Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) guidelines.

In August 1993, the US again imposed 2-year sanctions on Pakistani and Chinese entities for violations of MTCR guidelines. The sanctions on Pakistan ended with the expiry of the fixed 2-year term.

But SUPRACO continued with its clandestine activities. In 1996, shipments of ammonium perchlorate (an oxidiser for solid rocket propellant) destined for SUPARCO were seized in two separate incidents. In March 1996, 200 barrels of ammonium perchlorate shipped from North Korea’s Lyongaksan General Trade Corporation were detained in Taiwan en route to SUPARCO. On April 29, 1996, customs officials in Hong Kong seized enough ammonium perchlorate to fuel about 25 missiles, originating in Xian, China. In September 1996, Pakistan acknowledged that SUPARCO had imported a small quantity of rocket fuel for scientific research

but denied reports about the seizure of massive amounts of fuel. A foreign office spokesman claimed that SUPARCO had imported rocket fuel for research and study. All these activities forced the US Commerce Department to implement the sanctions on Pakistan (June 1998). The sanctions included a licensing policy of denial for export and import of items controlled for nuclear non-proliferation and missile technology. Such developments, directly or indirectly, affected the growth of development of satellite technology in Pakistan.

Rising above the difficulties faced due to the sanctions, by the late 1990s, Pakistan undertook a number of steps for consolidating and focussing its space programme in response to national priorities. In late 1999, Dr. Abdul Majid, the then chairman of SUPARCO, announced that Pakistan would develop its own satellite launching vehicle within a period of about 3 years, although no details of this previously undisclosed programme were revealed.10

However, in reality, Pakistan was found depending more on international com­mercially available space systems for satellite-derived inputs. For this purpose, the existing satellite ground station for reception of NOAA, LANDSAT and SPOT data was upgraded in the late 1990s. A national Geographic Information System (GIS) Committee was constituted to bring about GIS standardisation. Only indigenous activity undertaken was related to the development of the Badr-B multi-mission satellite.

Since the early 1990s, Pakistan has made significant investments towards training and educating space application experts. The scientists and technicians are trained in areas like application of satellite remote sensing data for resource and environmental surveying, meteorological and related environmental studies; determination of vertical profiles of atmospheric parameters through satellite radiance; study of the earth’s atmosphere through balloon and rocket soundings; air pollution monitoring; and collection of environmental data from unmanned data collection platforms.

Also, full-fledged research activity started during the same period in areas includ­ing ionospheric physics and radio wave propagation, satellite tracking by optical and radio techniques, geomagnetism, observational astronomy, communication satellite system design and small ground terminals/receivers.

Pakistan’s Remote Sensing Applications Centre (RESACENT) at Karachi has well-equipped laboratory facilities for visual as well as digital interpretation and analysis of remotely sensed data. SUPARCO has established a satellite ground receiving station at Islamabad to acquire LANDSAT, SPOT and NOAA data in real time. This station is one of the most advanced and sophisticated stations in the Asia-Pacific region. It covers, in addition to the whole of Pakistan, a large number of neighbouring countries, wholly or partially. The station has the most modern facilities for processing. SUPARCO has established a sophisticated ground receiving station for acquisition of NOAA APT pictures and facilities for reception of TOVS/HRPT data. Micro computer-based systems are available for the processing of NOAA and TOVS/HRPT data.11

SUPARCO had planned the launch of Badr-II satellite during 1993. However, the target could not be achieved. Subsequently, the launch was planned during 1995/1996. The anticipated launch date subsequently slipped to early 2000. Finally, Pakistan’s second satellite, Badr-B/Badr-II, was launched on December 10, 2001, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on a Zenit-2 rocket. It was launched in a sun-synchronous orbit of 1,050 km altitude. The satellite is tracked from the TT&C Station at Lahore. Badr-II has been launched with the following mission objectives:

• Indigenous development of low cost satellites and creation of necessary infras­tructure for future development in this field

• Acquisition of know-how and technology for earth imaging by the use of CCD sensors

• Acquisition of know-how and capability in the field of satellite altitude control and stabilisation

• Encouraging and stimulating the interest of the country’s academic and scientific community in the peaceful uses of space[46] [47]

It has been reported that the Badr series consisted of five satellites, and the Badr­I satellite has successfully completed its designated life. The Badr programme is likely to be decommissioned in 2012 after the Badr-B completes its successful designated life. However, no details of satellites from Badr 3 to 6 are available of the SUPARCO website. These satellites are being controlled by the Saudi Arabia’s Arabsat which owns and operates satellites like Badr-4, Badr-5 and Badr-6.[48]

SUPARCO established the Satellite Ground Station (SGS) near Islamabad in the year 1989 to ensure regular and timely availability of satellite remote sensing (SRS) data to user agencies for their natural resources and environmental surveying activities. The station has the capability to acquire and process LANDSAT MSS and TM data, SPOT HRV data in both the multispectral (XS) and panchromatic (Pan) modes (under agreements with EOSAT and SPOT IMAGE, the operators of the LANDSAT and SPOT satellite systems, respectively) as well as NOAA AVHRR data in the HRPT mode.

This data processing subsystem equipment was upgraded around the year 2000. SUPARCO has modernised the processing systems by installing the latest hardware. This has helped them immensely to enhance the processing speeds.[49] Along with NOAA, which essentially caters for Pakistan’s routine meteorological requirements, they also depend on METEOSAT-5 satellite images for tracing tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea region.[50]

During December 2002, Pakistan deployed a communication satellite, PAKSAT-1 (geostationary orbit), as an interim solution to cater for communication needs. The existing PAKSAT-1 satellite is a third-hand satellite bought from Turkey at an initial cost of $ 4.5 million. This satellite was originally developed for Indonesia by Boeing. It was later bought by Turkey, and finally, Pakistan purchased it and launched it. The decision to acquire this satellite was taken after Pakistan realised that the orbital slot allocated to it by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) along 38° East would lapse in April 2003 unless it had a satellite in place with transponders switched on, and the ownership of the slot was approved internationally.[51]

The Pakistani government had earlier sold one of its GEO (geostationary equatorial orbit) slots to Alcatel Escape for a commercial telecommunications satellite. As per some estimates, approximately 70% of Pakistan’s rural and remotely located population lacks good communication services. Pakistan’s TV and telecommunication capacity is leased on ASIASAT-1.[52]

In order to implement a fully operational communication satellite programme, Pakistan’s SUPARCO conducted a detailed study towards the launch of a national communication satellite, PAKSAT-1R. They took the help of a number of telecom users from both the public and private sectors to identify the current and future requirements of satellite transponder capacity to assist in the design of PAKSAT – 1R.[53] This Pakistan’s first communication satellite PAKSAT-1R was launched on August 11, 2011 as a part of Pakistan’s Space Programme 2040, on board China’s Satellite Launch Vehicle. It has a total of 30 transponders, 12 in C-band and 18 in Ku-band. The satellite is a replacement to the existing satellite PAKSAT-1 and has a design life of 15 years. It is expected to provide TV broadcasting, Internet and data communication services across South and Central Asia, Eastern Europe, East Africa and the Far East. Most importantly, it enables extending of communication services to all areas of Pakistan.19

Pakistan has announced Space Programme 2040 a satellite development and launch programme with intention to replace the Badr programme with emphasis on development and launching of geostationary communication satellite (e. g. Paksat 1R). Five GEO and six LEO satellites are expected to be launched in between 2011 till 2040 as a part of this programme. This programme has been approved by National Command Authority (NCA) whose chairman is a prime minister. This

is the highest body for the command and control of the country’s nuclear forces, and the Paksat-IR project falls under its purview. In the same meeting on July 14, 2011, NCA has also approved the futuristic, self-sustaining Nuclear Power Programme, 2050 [5].

SUPARCO has various multilateral/bilateral collaborations in the field of space technology and its applications with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. By virtue of an agreement signed between SUPARCO and the Earth Observation Satellite (EOSAT) Company, the latter is SUPARCO’s sales agent outside Pakistan for the sale of LANDSAT data (except data pertaining to Pakistani territory) generated at the Satellite Ground Station, Islamabad.20

There are reports that Pakistan is preparing to launch its own satellite launching system. Pakistan’s first space launch vehicle (SLV) is expected to be available in the near future (timeline not known). However, this news has not been widely reported, and further details are yet awaited. In the IDEAS 2002 exhibition (the second International Defence Exhibition and Seminar, IDEAS 2002, held at Karachi during August/September 2002), a model of Pakistan’s first SLV was displayed.21 In this department of SLV, till date no significant progress has been achieved [6].