Pakistan and China have signed a Memorandum for Understanding (MOU) that allows Pakistan’s first Lunar Rover to be part of China’s Chang’e 8 mission, Suparco announced on Thursday.
The Chang’e 8 mission, scheduled for launch in 2028, will focus on robotics exploration of the Lunar South Pole. Last year, Suparco had announced that his rover would be part of the mission, but the formal agreement was completed during President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to China this week.
“Pakistan has made a significant leap in deep aerospace examination with the signing of a historic Mou between Suparco and China National Space Administration (CNSA),” the press release states.
The agreement marks an important milestone for Pakistan’s space program, which contributes to the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) initiative.
Rover, developed by Suparco, will be deployed on the Lunar South Pole. It will carry advanced scientific payload designed by Pakistani researchers together with a collaborative scientific payload developed by Chinese and European researchers.
This combined effort aims to improve the mission’s ability to perform detailed analyzes of the lunar surface.
According to the declaration, Pakistani researchers will run the rover far from the ground and conduct studies of moonlight composition, radiation levels, plasma grants and test new technologies for sustainable human presence on the moon.
In May 2022, Pakistan launched his first Lunar satellite aboard China’s Chang’e-6-probe, which successfully landed on the Moon’s South Pole-Aitken basin. The mission returned samples to Earth in June, making China the first to bring back samples from the Moon’s distant side.
The collaboration between Pakistan and China in Space Exploration highlights the growing partnership between the two countries in scientific and technological advances.
