Pakistan launches two indigenously-built satellites from China

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday launched the two indigenously-built satellites from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Centre to meet its imagery requirements in land mapping and natural disaster management.

The Foreign Office confirmed that the satellites — Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite-1 (PRSS-1) and Pakistan Technology Evaluation Satellite-1A (PakTES-1A) — were launched through Long March-2C rocket, at 0857 hours (PST), from a satellite centre located in Northwest China.

Terming the launch a ‘great achievement’ for the country, Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal said the successful implementation of PRSS-1 and PakTES-1A projects had further strengthened the space cooperation with China for future collaboration.

The spokesman said the 1,200kg PRSS-1 and the 285kg PakTES-1A satellites would operate at an altitude of 640km and 610km, respectively, and would also enable the country in agriculture classification and assessment, urban and rural planning and water resource management.