Pakistan’s space efforts suffer from unhealthy dependence on China: Report

New Delhi, May 9 (IANS) Pakistan’s national space agency — Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) — is becoming increasingly dependent on China due to its close collaboration with the country and continued reliance on proven Chinese designs instead of pursuing independent research, a report has said.

The report from The Diplomat said that Pakistan has quietly accelerated its space programme because of Chinese help, even as the country grapples with soaring inflation, energy shortages and insurgencies.

The country has launched five indigenous satellites in the past 16 months and is preparing to send its first astronaut to China’s Tiangong space station.

“However, recent developments also display the structural embedding of Pakistan’s space ambitions into China’s own program… Pakistan needs to change its trajectory, it will never advance to deeper technological achievements,” the report said.

The Pakistani astronaut candidates are being trained by China for a mission to a Chinese space station and all its recent satellite launches have been from a Chinese facility.

“The most ambitious and technologically challenging space mission for SUPARCO – the lunar rover program, which is planned for landing in 2028 – will rely on Chinese technological and technical assistance,” it said.

The report called the recent developments surprising, as Pakistan is rarely associated with technological ambition.

Moreover, SUPARCO remained largely underfunded and stagnant for over two decades, constantly overshadowed by its neighbours, especially the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

Pakistan’s space programs are designed as a solution for disaster monitoring and response, urban and rural planning, agricultural monitoring, and glacier tracking, the report said. The country is currently under-equipped to manage its climate vulnerabilities, as seen from the catastrophic floods of 2022 that left one-third of Pakistan submerged.

Further, the programs also have a security dimension, as a response to India’s space program, though SUPARCO is still nowhere near ISRO yet, the report said.

“India’s space program has over 50 operating satellites. Its achievements include a Lunar South Pole landing in 2023, anti-satellite missile tests, and a fifth lunar mission on the books with Japan,” it added.

—IANS

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