China hands over lunar mission cube satellite data to Pakistan

BEIJING: China on Friday delivered the data to Pakistan captured by its iCube-Qamar satellite which was onboard the Chang’e-6 spacecraft, deepening lunar exploration cooperation between the two countries.

Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration handed the data carrier over to Pakistani Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi at a ceremony held in Beijing. Both unveiled the first image taken by the satellite.

The ceremony was presided over by Chief Engineer of the China National Space Administration Li Guoping. Representatives from the Department of International Cooperation of the China National Space Administration, the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Jiaotong University, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission of Pakistan and the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization attended the meeting.

At the ceremony, the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of China National Space Administration made a report on the mission of Chang’e-6 as the overall project. The Pakistan Institute of Space Technology made a report on the development of the payload and international cooperation, and Shanghai Jiaotong University reported on the cooperative development of the payload as the Chinese responsible unit.

The cube satellite, known as iCube-Q, was jointly developed by Pakistan’s Institute of Space Technology and China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

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The Chang’e-6 lunar probe, launched on May 3, carried four international payloads, including ICUBE-Q. The iCube-Q separated from the Chang’e-6 orbiter on May 8 to carry out exploration activities, such as capturing images of the moon.