Pakistan and China have signed a memorandum of understanding (Mou) that allows Pakistan’s first lunar rover to be part of the Chang’e 8 mission of China, Supparco announced Thursday.
The Chang’e 8 mission, scheduled for the launch in 2028, will focus on the robotic exploration of the South Lunar Pole. Last year, Supparco had announced that his rover would be part of the mission, but the formal agreement was ended during the visit of President Asif Ali Zardari to China this week.
“Pakistan has made a significant leap in the exploration of deep space with the signing of a memorandum of historical understanding between Supparco and the administration of the National Space of China (CNSA),” said the press release.
The agreement marks an important milestone for the Pakistan space program, which contributes to the initiative of the International Lunar Research Station (Ilrs).
The rover, developed by Supparco, will be deployed in the South Lunar Pole. It will carry out advanced scientific loads designed by Pakistani scientists, together with a collaborative scientific payload developed by Chinese and European researchers.
This combined effort aims to improve the mission capacity to perform detailed lunar surface analysis.
According to the statement, Pakistani scientists will operate the rover remotely from Earth, conducting studies on lunar soil composition, radiation levels, plasma properties and the test of new technologies for sustainable human presence on the moon.
In May 2022, Pakistan launched his first moon satellite aboard China’s Chang’e-6 probe, which he landed successfully in the South-Ten Pole’s Basin of the Moon. The mission returned the samples to the Earth in June, making China the first to bring samples from the side farthest from the moon.
Cooperation between Pakistan and China in space exploration highlights the growing association between the two countries in scientific and technological advances.
