خلائی و بالائے فضائی تحقیقاتی مأموریہ | |
Agency overview | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | SUPARCO |
Formed | Committee: 1961 - Karachi Commission: 1981 |
Type | Space agency |
Status | Active |
Headquarters | Islamabad-45900, Pakistan |
Chairman | Muhammad Yusuf Khan[1] |
Key people | |
Primary spaceport | Sonmiani FTR |
Owner | National Command Authority (NCA) |
Employees | Classified |
Annual budget | Rs. 7.3951 billion (US$25.61 million)[2] (2022–23) |
Website | suparco |
The Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission,[a] commonly referred to as SUPARCO, is the national space agency of Pakistan.[3]
The agency, originally established in 1961 as a committee in Karachi, became an independent commission in 1981.[4] Its initial objective was to learn rocketry and high altitude research from the United States, which ultimately led to the development of a national satellite program.[5] This culminated in the successful launch of Pakistan's first satellite from China in 1990.[6][7] The agency was also an early participant in the rocket development program launched by the Ministry of Defence of Pakistan.[7]
The agency leads the National Space Program (NSP) and maintains the orbital operations of its satellites with support facilities throughout the country.[8][9] The agency has sustained significant criticism within Pakistan for failing to compete with its Indian and Chinese counterparts in terms of capabilities in spite of being established earlier than them.[10][11][12]
fty years ago, Pakistan's [then] only Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam conceived the idea of the country's first space research programme and national space agency in 1961.
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