SUPARCO

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Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) is Pakistan's national space agency. It is responsible for the execution of the space science and technology programs in the country, as approved by the Government of Pakistan. SUPARCO is an autonomous Research and Development organization under the Federal Government.

History

A Space Sciences Research Wing of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) was established in 1961 on the advis eof Professor Dr Abdus Salam the Nobel Laureate. Professor Salam becamce its first chairman. In 1981, SUPARCO was given the status of a full commission.

Functions

SUPARCO is responsible for various functions from satellite applications to meteorological and atmospheric studies for scientists belonging to various national agencies.

An outline of major functions of SUPARCO is:

• Promotion and continuation of research in the following areas

1. Satellite Remote Sensing (SRS) data
2. Geographic Information System (GIS) technology

• Application of research in above areas to

1. natural resource surveying
2. mapping
3. environmental monitoring

• Research studies relating to the:

1. ionosphere and associated radio wave propagation
2. geomagnetism

• Development, design, fabrication, assembly and launching

1. Sounding rockets for upper and middle atmospheric research
2. Communication satellites
3. Earth observation satellites for various scientific/technological applications

• Establishment and operation of ground receiving stations for

1. resources surveying mapping
2. environmental monitoring studies
3. Acquisition of data for atmospheric/meteorological studies
4. Transmitting and receiving signals from communication satellite
5. Reception of signals from vehicles in distress under the satellite-aided search and rescue COSPAS-SARSAT program.

• Establishment and operation of facilities for tracking satellites/rockets to determine their orbital parameters, trajectories
• Development of instrumentation for various scientific and technological experiments
• Development of software

Satellite Program

Badr-1

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Badr-1

SUPARCO started building a small amateur radio satellite in late 1986 with support from the Pakistan Amateur Radio Society. The satellite was named Badr inspired from the Urdu language word for "new moon." This first satellite, Badr-1 or Badr-A, was planned to be launched on the US Space Shuttle, but the 1986 Challenger explosion and consequent delay in American flights changed the plan . On 16 July 1990 BADR-A was launched as a secondary payload into low orbit by a Chinese LM-2E rocket.

Badr-1 weighing 150 pounds was originally designed for a nearly circular orbit of 400-500 km.

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Badr-1 Launch

In practice Badr-1 was inserted into an orbit of 205 km by 990 km. Badr-A carried a digital communications system modeled on the British radio satellite UO-11 launched in 1984. The satellite remained in contact for 5 weeks and provided important data concerning its mission.

The contact with the satellite ended on 20th August and all efforts to restore contact with the missing satellite failed. Badr-1 was intended to provide technical experience in control, transponder , digital communications and telemetry to prepare SUPARCO for further launches. The satellite also successfully completed store/dump message tests during its short mission.

Badr-1's orbit was so low it reentered the Earth's atmosphere after 146 days.

Badr-B

Pakistan’s second satellite BADR-B was launched on 10 Dec 2001 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The Zenit-2 rocket carried it into a 1018 km sun-synchronous circular orbit.

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Badr-B

Badr-B was a small size Earth Observation Satellite designed by Space Innovations Limited (SIL) of the United Kingdom. Badr-B was a gravity gradient stabilised satellite. Although it was designed and manufactured by SIL, the satellite integration was performed in Pakistan by SUPARCO. Most of the equipment used in the satellite was acquired in Pakistan to stimulate the local software industry. BADAR-B conducted four major on-board experiments

• Earth imaging
• Use of radiation dosimeter
• Data storage and forwarding
• Charged battery experiment.

PAKSAT

For the last decade SUPARCO has been trying to develop a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite. After years of deadlocks, the PAKSAT project has finally come close to realization. In order to save the last remaining orbital position, an in orbit satellite HGS-3 has been acquired by Pakistan from Hughes Global Services on lease and relocated to Pakistan's reserved slot at 38 Degree. After a series of orbital maneuvers, the Satellite was stabilized at the final location on December 20, 2002. Paksat 1 is operational and is ready to offer services.

In principal approval has been granted by the government of Pakistan for the replacement by a new communication satellite Paksat 1R when the lease period runs out. Development of a prototype of the new satellite is underway.

Sounding Rockets

SUPARCO has been testing sounding rockets very early from its existence. On 07 June 1962 the two-stage rocket: Rehbar-I consisting of a Nike-Cajun combination (which was earlier developed by NASA) was successfully launched from Sonmiani Rocket Range. It soared to about 130 km into the atmosphere. Pakistan was the third country in Asia and the tenth in the world to conduct such a launching. Rehbar-II was also successfully launched from Sonmiani Rocket Range on 09 June 1962.

The data collected helped in the study of cloud formation, cyclones, weather over the Arabian Sea, wind shear and structure in the layers of the upper atmosphere extending beyond the stratosphere.

External links

• Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO)
• FAS report on SUPARCO
• Astronautix