ISLAMABAD, March 28, 2007 - Satnews Daily - Pakistan’s foreign minister said his country was turning to China for space technology that will boost Pakistan’s economic progress and make the "defense of the country impregnable."
During his visit to China, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri described China as the country which has challenged the whole world in rocket science and space technology. Pakistan hopes for Chinese assistance in achieving expertise in rocket science and space technology.
Kasuri said the government was implementing a strategic program for launching the country’s own satellite to replace Paksat, which has already reached the end of its design life but could continue functioning for one or two more years.
He said that new Pakistani satellite would orbit the earth at a height of 200-300 kilometers and complete a round of its orbit in 70 minutes. He said the rocket carrying the new satellite would travel at a speed of 18,000 miles per hour.
"China will hopefully agree on transfer of space technology to Pakistan. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will pay an official visit to China from April 24 to 28 and besides inaugurating a new Pakistani consulate there, he will also seek Chinese cooperation in rocket science and space technology," he said.
Salim Mahmud, former head of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), who is now chief scientific and technical adviser to the Hashoo Group, said China was the only country in a position to transfer space technology to Pakistan.
In return, Pakistan will allow China to establish an earth station inside Pakistan to track Chinese satellites. Salim Mahmud said launching remote sensing satellite is Pakistan’s first priority since these satellites can help cartographic studies. He said Pakistan would place its satellite in the orbit with the Chinese assistance and later develop rockets indigenously.
Pakistan is moving ahead with plans to launch its first dual use satellite, Paksat-1R, but has decided to achieve this aim with the help of Telesat Canada, one of the world's leading satellite operators.
Pakistan and Telesat this March signed a consulting contract in which Telesat will assist Suparco, Pakistan's national space agency, procure and launch Paksat-1R, which will replace Paksat-1 in 2010.
