The Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, commonly referred to as SUPARCO, is the national space agency of Pakistan.
The agency, originally established in 1961 as a committee in Karachi, became an independent commission in 1981. Its initial objective was to study rocketry and high-altitude research from the United States, which eventually led to the development of a national satellite programme. This culminated in the successful launch of Pakistan's first satellite from China in 1990. The agency was also an early participant in the rocket development programme launched by the Ministry of Defence of Pakistan.
The agency leads the National Space Programme (NSP) and maintains the orbital operations of its satellites with support facilities throughout the country.
SUPARCO also serves as the secretariat for Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) which was established in February 2024 under the National Command Authority to regulate all space-related activities in Pakistan.
History Creation
The past federal ministries of Pakistan initially avoided to fund the space programme and engineering education in spite of opportunity available from the United States. The Punjab University was the only university that was undertaking the research in aeronautics in 1957; after the former Soviet Union launched its first satellite in space, the Sputnik 1.Fayyazuddin, Professor Abdus Salam as I know him, National Center for Physics
It was during the development of Apollo programme in 1961 when Abdus Salam found an opportunity for Pakistan to start its space programme with the foreign funding coming from the United States. As NASA launched the Apollo programme in competition with the Soviet space programme, it recognised the need for scientific data from the upper atmosphere and therefore invited India and Pakistan—two Indian Ocean–bordering states—to participate in related studies and experiments. Initially, the engineers from Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) learned rocketry at the Wallops Flight Facility as Abdus Salam worked on getting approval for establishing a commission from the Ayub administration.
A commission to study the upper atmosphere and rocketry was established under Abdus Salam and Ishrat Usmani as its chairman with nuclear engineers from PAEC, Tariq Mustafa and Salim Mehmud, becoming its first members in 1961 through the "Space Sciences Research Wing" of PAEC. The Commission was the first in the Muslim world to start studies in establishing a national space programme, and was named as "Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission" to represent its purpose and mission on 16 September 1961.
The Commission working under Abdus Salam was tasked with learning the rocket engineering, and contribution from France and the United States helped start this mission. Foundation of the agency made Pakistan the first South Asian country to start a space programme. Furthermore, a Flight Test Range was established in Sonmiani which is west of Karachi, from where a programme of sounding rocket launches was conducted based on the Nike-Ajax rockets followed by the Judi-Dart programme.
On 7 July 1962, the Commission launched the first rocket, known as "Rehbar-I", which reached the altitude of in space. The United States publicly supported and hailed the programme as the beginning of "a programme of continuous co-operation in space research of mutual interest." Until 1972, the United States provided training on rocket engines at the Goddard Space Flight Center. The ground stations for satellite navigation were set up by the Commission in Karachi and Lahore in 1973, and were visited by the Apollo 17 astronauts. In 1973, the Islamabad Ionospheric Station was established at the Quaid-e-Azam University and Landsat ground station was established near Lahore.
Funding and Support Following the cessation of U.S. funding for upper atmosphere research in 1972 and the prioritisation of nuclear weapons programmes after the 1971 war with India, SUPARCO experienced a significant decline in funding and support. Engineers with backgrounds in nuclear engineering were transferred to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, and the Pakistan Air Force's support for the Rehbar programme also ceased.
Following India's launch of its first satellite Aryabhata on a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket in 1975, SUPARCO began lobbying for Pakistan's own satellite programme. In 1981, the Commission was reorganized as an independent federal agency. During the same period, a communication satellite project called PakSAT was initiated. Collaborations with the Pakistan Radio Society (PRS) and the University of Surrey in England enabled SUPARCO to participate in satellite engineering projects, contributing to the development of UoSAT-1 and UO-11, which were launched in 1984.
Pakistan's communication satellite programme also led to the expansion of a ground station in Lahore in 1983. SUPARCO began constructing its first satellite, Badr-1, in 1983, and it was eventually launched by China in 1990 after negotiations with the United States failed.
SUPARCO continued its collaboration with the United Kingdom, developing the Badr-B satellite in partnership with the British Rutherford Laboratory. However, due to orbital crises and funding constraints, Badr-B was not launched until 2001 by Russia.
Gen Zia's decision to delay the PakSAT project in 1984, citing a lack of funds, led to a significant setback for SUPARCO. This ultimately resulted in the loss of two orbital slots in 1993 and 1994. To secure a priority slot, the agency negotiated with Hughes Satellite Systems to acquire PakSAT-1, a geo-stationary satellite originally intended for Indonesia.
Functions As per the National Space Policy of Pakistan approved in 2024, SUPARCO as the National Space Agency is mandated to carry out all activities related to outer space which includes but not limited to the following:
Policy Development: Formulate national space policies and legislation to comply with international obligations and establish guidelines for the space sector. Programme Management: Plan, manage, and execute the National Space Programme, encompassing space science, technology, and applications. Space Infrastructure: Design, develop, launch, and operate satellites, ground control infrastructure, space transportation systems, launch facilities, navigation systems, and tracking observatories. National Register: Maintain a register of space objects launched by Pakistan and submit information to the United Nations. Commercialisation: Promote the commercial exploitation of space capabilities, technologies, and applications. Private Sector Engagement: Encourage private sector involvement in space activities. International Cooperation: Co-ordinate with international space organizations and agencies, and represent Pakistan in relevant forums.
Programmes
Satellite Programmes
Badr +Badr ProgrammeSatelliteMass and weightSatellite by typeLaunch agencyLaunch siteStatusLaunch dateRemarks and notesBadr-1CommunicationsCASCXichang in ChinaInactiveBadr-BEarth observationRoscosmosBaikonur in KazakhstanInactive
PakSAT The PakSAT programme is the national communication satellites programme of the commission conceived in 1979–80. The programme is envisioned to consist of two geostationary communication satellites – one operating in 38°E orbit and other at 41°E, respectively.
The PakSAT programme was originally designed to develop the television receive-only (TVRO) terminals for the receptions of news, entertainment, and educational channels from direct broadcasting satellite dishes.
+ PakSAT Programme Satellite Mass and weight Satellite by type Launch agency Launch site Status Launch date Remarks and notes PakSAT-1E GEO Hughes Cape Canaveral in United States Inactive PakSAT-1R GEO CASC Xichang Active PakSAT-MM1 GEO Hughes Cape Canaveral Inactive PakSAT-MM1R GEO CASC XichangActive 30 May 2024
Remote Sensing Satellites +Pakistani Remote Sensing Satellites Satellite Mass and weight Satellite by type Launch agency Launch site Status Launch date Remarks and notesPakTES-1ALEOCNSAJiuquanActivePRSS-1LEOCNSAJiuquanActivePRSC-EO1 -LEOCASCJiuquanActive17 January 2025PRSS-2 -LEOCASCXichangActive31 July 2025Hyperspectral Satellite 1 (HS-1) -LEOCASCJiuquanActive19 October 2025Built by SUPARCOPRSC-EO2 -LEOCASCYangjiang Seashore Launch CentreActive12 February 2026Built and manufactured by SUPARCOPRSC-EO3 -LEOCASCTaiyuan Satellite Launch CenterActive25 April 2026 Built and manufactured by SUPARCO
CubeSats +Pakistani CubeSatsSatelliteMass and weightSatellite by typeLaunch agencyLaunch siteLaunch dateRemarks and notesICube-11.08 kg (2.4 lb)1U CubeSatKosmotrasDombarovsky 370/1321 November 2013ICUBE-Q9.0 kg (19.8 lb)Lunar OrbiterCNSAWenchang3 May 2024PAUSAT-124 kg (52.9 lb)16U CubeSatSpaceXVandenberg Space Force Base14 January 2025
Rocket Programmes
Sounding Rockets
Since 1961, the commission supported and led the early studies on solid-propellant rockets, which it succeeded in developing the Rehbar-I. The Rehbar-I rocket was a derivative based on the U.S. Nike-Cajun, and continued its service until 1972.
Hatf-I & Abdali
In 1987, the military funded the commission's design study on rocket engines for Hatf-I, which was completed with the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), the national defense laboratory of the Ministry of Defence. In 1995, the Commission designed the rocket engine for the Abdali project, which was completed in 2004.
The Commission also conducted studies on rocket engines for the Shaheen programme.
Space Science and Astronomy Every year, SUPARCO sponsors and organises the World Space Week (WSW) to promote the understanding of the Earth science all over the country. SUPARCO works with a number of universities and research institutions to engage in research in observational astronomy and astrophysics. The Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics (ISPA) of the Karachi University conducts key research and co-sponsors with international level research programmes in astrophysics, with joint ventures of SUPARCO.
SUPARCO operates a national balloon launching facility in Karachi to conduct studies in atmospheric sciences to determine the vertical profile of ozone up to 30–35 km. This balloon sounding facility has been extensively used for carrying out research in better understanding of the meteorology and how the ozone layer vary seasonally in the stratosphere and troposphere. The Ionospheric Station at Karachi operates a Lonosonde observation facility, and recently the balloon flight mission was carried out by the station on 16 January 2004, up to an altitude of about 36 km to measure the vertical profile of the O3 trends. The maximum O3 observed 12.65 mPa at 27 km. One of the most notable mission of SUPARCO is its Lunar programme that conducts observational studies on the activity of Lunar phases and distributes its publications within the public domain.See :Lunar prediction programme
The SUPARCO Astrophysics programme, is an active scientific mission of SUPARCO, dedicated for the development of space science. The programme's mainstream objective and aim is to conduct research studies for the advancement and better understanding of the theoretical physics, astronomy, astrophysics, and mathematics involving the three-dimensional universal space and time.