• Source:JND
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Pakistan has officially announced its plans to land its first spacecraft on the Moon by 2035, aligning its ambitions with the help of China, its long-time strategic partner. Despite launching its space research programme nearly a decade before India, which achieved a successful lunar landing with Chandrayaan-3 in 2023, Pakistan has struggled to make significant headway in space technology until now.

At a high-level meeting in Beijing this week, Pakistan’s Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, confirmed that the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) has been tasked with executing the country's first Moon mission. The discussion with Shan Zhongde, Chairman of China’s Atomic Energy Authority and Space Agency, also touched upon broader collaborations in space and nuclear energy to support Pakistan’s national development.

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Iqbal emphasised that this lunar goal marks a major milestone in Pakistan’s renewed push into space exploration. Under the newly branded “Uraan Pakistan” initiative, he credited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for reinvigorating SUPARCO and positioning it to take bold steps toward future space milestones.

Lunar Rover On China’s Chang’e-8 Mission

While SUPARCO has not yet launched a satellite independently, the first major step toward the 2035 Moon mission will come in 2028. Pakistan will contribute a 35-kg lunar rover to China’s Chang’e-8 mission. This rover will be designed to conduct terrain analysis, resource evaluation, and scientific experiments at the Moon’s south pole, an area of increasing interest among global space agencies.

According to Geo News, the discussions between Pakistan and China, framed as “strategic cooperation,” underscore Pakistan’s growing reliance on Chinese expertise and infrastructure to achieve its space goals.

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Key Chinese firms such as BOMETEC, CETC International, and MicroSAT have been acknowledged for their role in helping Pakistan execute satellite-related projects with speed and precision. Iqbal praised China's continued support under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), noting its expanding role beyond traditional sectors like infrastructure and defence. The announcement of the 2035 lunar mission came shortly after Pakistan successfully launched a satellite with Chinese assistance.