‘Pak astronaut to go into space in 2022’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s cabinet has approved ambitious plans to put the first Pakistani into space by 2022, information minister Fawad Chaudhry has said.

The first Pakistani will be sent into space with China’s help, Chaudhry told the media on Thursday, ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s maiden visit to Beijing.

An agreement between Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and a Chinese company has already been signed, he said.

Pakistan and China already have ties in the field of space and defence.

Earlier this year, Pakistan launched two satellites into orbit on a Chinese launch vehicle.

The satellites were launched on board the Long March (LM-2C) rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre located in the Gobi desert. One of them was a remote sensing satellite (PRSS1) - a dual-purpose Earth observation and optical satellite.

The second satellite was PAKTES-1A, developed by SUPARCO to enhance satellite manufacturing capabilities in the country. This will help end Pakistan’s dependency on commercial satellites for information related to weather, environment and agriculture.

The satellites had to be transported to China as Pakistan lacks infrastructure to launch objects into space.

Chaudhry told the media that Prime Minister Khan will head to Beijing on November 3 and hold meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.