Pakistan will be sending a human to space for the first time in the year 2022. They will be receiving help from China. This was announced by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday. This was ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s maiden visit to Beijing.
Pakistan’s first space mission has been planned. The federal Cabinet meeting chaired by Imran Khan approved this plan. The minister said that an agreement between Paki Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and a Chinese company has already been signed.
Pakistan and China already have very good defence ties. Moreover, Islamabad is one of the top buyers of Chinese military hardware. Earlier this year, Pakistan launched two satellites into orbit, using a Chinese launch vehicle. The satellites had to be transported to China as Pakistan lacks the infrastructure to launch objects to space.
Imran Khan will carry out his first official visit to China on 3rd November. Meetings will be held with Chinese President, Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.
The point that should be noticed here is that Pakistan’s planning to send a human to space in the same year as that of India. But still, there will be a huge difference between the way the missions are carried out by both the countries. India’s space mission will be it’s own while Pak will be seeking foreign help from China.
In his Independence Day address, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India announced that India would be sending an astronaut to space by 2022. This would make India the fourth nation in the world to achieve this feat.
Modi said that “We have resolved that by 2022, when India celebrates 75 years of Independence or maybe even before that, certainly some of our young boys and girls will unfurl the Tricolour in space.”
