On 3rd May 2024 at 1250 PST, the Institute of Space Technology (IST) a leading high-end university in Pakistan will be launching a student Cube Satellite “ICUBE- Qamar” (ICUBE-Q) in Lunar orbit aboard China’s Chang’E-6 Mission from Wenchang Space Launch Site, Hainan, China. The launch activity will be telecast live on the IST website as well as on IST social media accounts.
The opportunity to release Cubesat in the Lunar orbit from the Chang-E’6 mission was offered by the China National Space Agency (CNSA) through the Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) to APSCO member states. After a thorough evaluation, Pakistan’s proposal was accepted out of all APSCO member states.
Design, development, and qualification of ICUBE-Q have been led by faculty members and students of the Institute of Space Technology (IST) in collaboration with China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and with support from Pakistan National Space Agency SUPARCO.
ICUBE-Q has two cameras as a payload for imaging the Lunar surface. IST is a federally chartered university that pioneered the development of CubeSats in Pakistan by launching its first Cubesat “ICUBE-1” in Low Earth Orbit in Nov 2013.
