Pakistan-China friendship has recently witnessed another development in the field of space research. The two governments agreed to extend their friendship in the space and globally announced the actual strength of their decades-old friendship. A new dimension in the field of space technology added to the Pak-China friendship when Beijing launched two satellites for Pakistan on Chinese Long March (LM-2C) Vehicle. It was the 279th launch mission of the LM-2C rocket series. Both satellites were launched into orbit from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre (JSLC) in China. The JSLC is a main space vehicle launch facility of China which is located in Inner Mongolia (Gobi Desert). This spaceport of China was founded in 1958 and became a historical place by launching Pakistani satellites. Both satellites, PRSS1 and PAK-TES-1A, were primarily launched from Chinese land in order to reduce Pakistan’s dependency on commercial satellites. Both satellites were shifted to China and planned by two sided state officials to effectively launch in space with Beijing’s help. In this way, the Chinese LM-2C rocket which is mainly used to send satellites to low earth or sun-synchronous orbits was used to serve the space objectives of both nations.
The PRSS1 (Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite) is generally known as Remote Sensing Satellite System which is primarily helpful in earth observational and optical satellite. The launching of this dual purposes satellite added Pakistan to the list of few countries which possess their own remote sensing satellites. The PRSS1 generally carries cameras and sensors which serve various objectives including studying different geographical detail. Each camera has independent image processing and a separate storage capacity along with an effective transmission capability. The PRSS1 has seven years of lifespan, and the cameras equipped in it have high resolutions to a meter and a coverage range of 60 km. The manufacturing engineers of the satellite confirmed the high quality of two cameras which are developed by China, they are the best exported remote sensing cameras which can be used to monitor plant diseases and pests. So the uniqueness of the satellite and the effectiveness of its performance are dependent on the functioning of cameras which can obtain improved and high quality images by turning their lenses at different wide angles. The wider ranges of camera coverage is designed to ensure the information security design of PRSS1. Chinese authorities confirmed the high performance of the PRSS1 by describing its data transmission system which is based on a matured technology. Beijing has used the same technology in its other twenty satellites which shows an advanced level of technology the Chinese officials has granted to Pakistan.
Such detail mainly contains the information of countless minerals deposits, collecting land and resources data along with monitoring of natural disasters which include forest fires, and melting glaciers. The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) helped Pakistan in overcoming its space dependency on other states by mainly relaying on their commercial satellites. PRSS1 is the first satellite of China which is sold to Pakistan and it is CAST’s 17th satellite. After sending the satellite into orbit, the CAST confirmed its smooth functioning as well. A team of high officials from CAST verified the good working condition of PRSS1, and they also clarified the unfolding solar panels of the satellite. According to a Chinese news source, this space activity will be helpful in monitoring mega economic corridor project between Beijing and Islamabad through acquiring the essential remote sensing information.
The other PAK-TES-1 (Pakistan Technology Evaluation Satellites) is fundamentally an experimental satellite which enabled Pakistan to enhance is its standing in the community of states with advanced space capabilities. This satellite was indigenously made and developed by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) for the improvement of Islamabad’s satellite manufacturing capabilities. The scientific community of Pakistan consisting of its space engineers under SUPARCO were actively involved in the co-launched of PAK-TES1 with their Chinese counterparts. The space projects of PRSS1 and PAK-TES1 generally showed a partnership for space technology between two neighbouring states. Now, Islamabad is planning to end its reliance on commercial satellites by enhancing its cooperation for space technology with China.
The space strength of both states cannot be simply separated from other fields which are covering countless other dimensions under the broader vision of the corridor project. A joint work for space research is an undeniable part of mega economic project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It is a multidimensional project for the improvement of leading economic infrastructure of Pakistan in which Islamabad is willing to become an active part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI (previously known as One Belt and One Road Initiative (OBOR) is a gigantic economic project for the development of an international network of roads and ports in which Pakistan is selected as a potential state for the completion of this Chinese dream of global reach.
The bilateral cooperation in the space field not only increased the two-sided diplomatic efforts but it globally announced the promotion of peaceful and pleasant values between Beijing and Islamabad. The construction of peaceful bounds between two states compelled leading state officials from both states to restrict their space cooperation to merely peaceful purposes, the launch of satellites into orbit is not meant for strategic or military purposes. The combination of both satellites serves the different (earth observational and experimental) purposes which will provide essential information comprising agriculture, environment, and weather data. In this way, it seems, the Chinese government helped Pakistan in overcoming its deficiency of having sufficient infrastructure for launching of satellites. The non-military space aspirations of Beijing and Islamabad has communicated a message of peace and prosperity to the regional and extra-regional states. Since it is limited for peaceful objectives only it will help Pakistan obtain data for strictly non-strategic purposes while restricting the functioning of satellites for weather and environment coupled with agriculture sector.
The Sino-Pak space cooperation has a long history deeply inherited in diplomatic collaboration of the two countries. The bilateral intentions for the development of cooperation in the space technology formally started in August 2011 when Pakistan’s first national communication satellite (PAKSAT-1R) was launched by China from Xichang. It was developed by China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) and operated by SUPARCO. Under the supervision of SUPARCO the PAKSAT-1R was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center (also known as Xichang Space Center). This satellite was the part of Pakistan’s broader Space Program-2040 and its declared life was fifteen years. It was helpful in covering wider areas of various communications including TV broadcasting, internet, and miscellaneous data communication services. In short, the PAKSAT-1R was developed as a geostationary satellite and launched on a Long March 3B rocket (a Chinese orbital carrier vehicle). Official representatives from both sides agreed to enhance their space collaboration, and in this way SUPRACO decided to engage with its Chinese counterpart.
The cooperation for space program activated two-sided scientific communities and compelled the government of both states to repeat the satellite launching activity again. In July 2018, once again Beijing agreed to launch satellites for Pakistan. Eventually, the successful launching and functioning of two satellites was a moment of pride and prestige for Pakistan and it further enabled Islamabad to independently rely on its own space sources for collecting necessary details relevant to agriculture and weather. In this way, Pakistan, with the help of China, will have capacity to obtain imagery data by meeting in the areas of land mapping, environmental monitoring, natural disaster management, and water resource management for the improvement of its societal and financial infrastructures.
The bilateral collaboration in space could be a minor development in world politics but it has strengthened the broader vision of friendship between Chinese and Pakistani governments. State representatives of both sides have shown consistent emerging cooperation in diverse fields which could provide further avenues and opportunities for the social, political, and economic developments of two states.
The news of satellite launching went viral on the internet and people around the world started became more aware of the deepening level of China-Pakistan friendship. Chinese and Pakistani communities around the world celebrated the news that in turn further communicated to the world the skyrocketing levels of friendship between two neighbouring nations. No doubt, leaders from world’s capitals know about the increasing cooperative bonds between Beijing and Islamabad but the collaboration in space technology would have surprised many of them. In view of an extreme wave of criticism by many world leaders regarding CPED, leading state authorities from Beijing and Islamabad need to realize the actual potential of their widening cooperative bonds without ignoring the role of anti-CPEC or anti-BRI nations. Serious attention is needed to enable the two nations to address the critical arguments emanating from different parts of the world.
