“Space race” and competition in space exploration
The escalation of progress in Space exploration on a global level can largely be attributed to the “Space Race”. Space Race is the name given to the fierce competition between the Soviets and the US during the cold war time. Considering that WWII had just passed, the rival superpowers were contending to be at the top of technological development. At the time, technological innovation, especially in the context of space was being used as a move of power show. Consequently, space exploration was largely connected to national pride. It had become a matter of reputation and a reflection of global power dynamics. In October 1957, Russia launched its first man-made satellite “sputnik”. It orbited the Earth at 29,000 kilometers per hour (18,000 miles per hour) for three months. Sergei Korolev pioneered this Russian space effort.
A year after this launch, the US president Dwight Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). From here onwards, both nations were on arguably equal footing, superseding one another’s progress at different times. Moon landing, space shuttle, and International Space Station can all be developments that are a product of the “space race”. Henceforth this race was leading to global achievements but simultaneously, standards of research were being set. In correspondence to this fact, countries like China and India followed.
Pakistan and India in Contention
The milestone that brought Pakistan into the debate was the launch of Chandrayaan-2 by India in 2019. Although the mission was not entirely successful and in fact did not achieve what it had set out to accomplish, it sparked debates about Pakistan’s progress.
In light of these facts, we can conclude how national pride and space exploration had become intertwined ever since the cold war period. However, in practical terms, there needs to be scientific backing and reasoning to invest and venture into this development. National pride is a by-product of this advancement.
Initiation of Pakistan’s Space Programme
The pioneer of Space Programme in Pakistan was the renowned physicist Dr Abdus Salam. He initiated a space Program under the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). As the first noble prize winner from Pakistan, Dr Abdus Salam recognised the importance of this modern institution. From this point onwards, Pakistan acquired the support of the US to launch its first few rockets which were mostly sounding rockets in the 1970s. The timeline of development with reference to SUPARCO can however be categorised in three phases. The final phase is recognised for the launch of Badr-B and Paksat-1 which led into Design and Development and Paksat-1R in 2011. After this, Pakistan launched a few prominent satellites in 2018. Putting this trajectory of progress under observation, Pakistan’s space exploration development has been very slow.
Factors affecting Pakistan’s progress
In comparison with India in particular, Pakistan was essentially ahead in this dimension of technology in the beginning. The prospects and even the formal establishment of the program by Dr. Abdus Salam took place in the 1950s. Whereas, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was established later. Nevertheless, ISRO progressed rapidly and with Chandrayaan- 3 moon mission in 2023, their position solidified further.
On the other hand, some factors that explain why Pakistan is lagging can include, Firstly, the unstable economic conditions. As a third world, developing country struggling to stabilize its economy, it is obvious that there is very less room for investment in innovative projects like those of space exploration.
Another important complication is the lack of consistent research. There is absence of research components in our STEM education and training curriculum, along with a significant gap between academia and industry, the atmosphere of research and innovation is essentially lacking.
With these internal complications, the iCube qamar 6 becomes a huge milestone for Pakistan. It is also a testament to the fact that collaborative programs have a higher chance of success. With substantial help from China (Shanghai University) Pakistan has hit a landmark for their socio-economic growth. Additionally supplementing the country’s National pride.
