Author: Syed Muhammad Waqib Ali Zaidi
Email: syedmohammadwaqibalizaidi@gmail.com
1. The Global Importance of Space
What becomes of a civilisation when its most critical infrastructure orbits beyond national borders? Navigation, telecommunications, financial synchronisation, meteorological forecasting, Earth observation, and strategic defence now depend on an orbital architecture that is largely invisible to the public yet indispensable to the functioning of contemporary states. Space, once conceived primarily as a frontier for exploration, has become a foundational layer of the global economy and a decisive arena of geopolitical competition. The scale of this transformation is reflected in the extraordinary growth of the space sector. The global space economy reached a record $613 billion in 2024, expanding by 7.8% year-on-year, before rising to approximately $686 billion in 2025—an increase of 12%. This expansion is not confined to commercial enterprise: global government space expenditure amounted to $132 billion in 2024 and approximately $141 billion in 2025, with the United States alone accounting for $77 billion in 2024, or roughly 60% of global public space investment. Yet public funding represents only part of the sector’s economic significance. Commercial activity constituted approximately 78% of the global space economy in 2024, driven by satellite communications, launch services, Earth observation, and downstream applications embedded in agriculture, logistics, finance, and disaster response. Projections that the space economy may approach $1 trillion by 2032 therefore indicate more than industrial expansion; they signal the consolidation of space as critical economic infrastructure. Understanding the importance of space, consequently, requires examining not only exploration and scientific discovery, but also the technological, strategic, and economic systems upon which modern societies increasingly depend.
Sources Used:
– Space Foundation — The Space Report 2025, Q2 – Space Foundation — Global Space Economy Analysis – Payload — Breaking Down the $686B Space Economy – J.P. Morgan Private Bank — Investing in the Space Economy – OECD — The Space Economy at a Glance 2026
2. The Importance of Space Technology in Everyday Life
Satellite Communication Communication satellites carry television, telephone, internet, radio, and data signals across countries and oceans. They are especially important in remote areas, islands, mountains, and disaster zones where laying cables or building mobile towers is difficult. The scale is enormous: as of October 2025, about 13,026 active satellites were orbiting Earth, and satellite broadband is expanding rapidly. Starlink alone added 4.6 million new customers in 2025 and expanded into 35 additional markets. Navigation and GPS
GPS satellites provide location, speed, and timing data for phones, cars, aircraft, ships, delivery companies, emergency services, and precision farming. In the United States, GPS has generated an estimated $1.4 trillion in private-sector economic benefits since civilian use began. Annual benefits are also substantial. One study estimated that GPS-related productivity gains and cost reductions were worth $68 billion to $122 billion per year, equal to about 0.5% to 0.9% of annual U.S. GDP. Weather Forecasting Weather satellites observe clouds, storms, rainfall, temperature, wind, and ocean conditions across the whole planet. They provide more than 80% of the data used in numerical weather models for 3-to-7-day forecasts, and many weather centers use satellite data for about 90% of their forecasting inputs. This improves accuracy and saves lives. NOAA reports that five-day forecasts are accurate about 90% of the time, while seven-day forecasts are accurate about 80% of the time. Without satellites, useful forecast skill could be reduced by up to 24 hours in the Northern Hemisphere and 72 hours in the Southern Hemisphere. Earth Observation and Climate Monitoring Earth-observation satellites monitor forests, glaciers, oceans, rivers, deserts, cities, and the atmosphere. They provide continuous global data that helps scientists measure climate change, sea-level rise, melting ice, deforestation, and air pollution. The volume of data is huge: ECMWF receives about 800 million satellite observations every day and processes around 60 million quality-controlled observations for its forecasting system. This makes satellites one of the most important tools for climate science and environmental decision-making. Agriculture and Food Security Satellites help farmers monitor crop growth, soil moisture, drought, pests, and plant disease. GPS-guided machinery can plant, irrigate, spray, and harvest more precisely, reducing waste and improving yields. The financial impact is significant. GPS adoption in agriculture has produced more than $5.8 billion in economic benefits since 1998, according to a U.S. GPS economic-benefits study. Satellite data also helps insurers estimate crop damage and future weather-related risks. Disaster Management During floods, wildfires, earthquakes, storms, and oil spills, satellites provide rapid images of affected areas. This helps authorities assess damage, locate communities in danger, plan evacuation routes, and direct rescue teams. Satellite data has already improved major-storm forecasting. Polar-orbiting satellite observations helped forecast the 2010 “Snowmageddon” storm five days in advance and improved early predictions of Superstorm Sandy’s track. Maritime Safety and Ocean Monitoring Satellites support ships with navigation, storm warnings, sea-ice maps, and communication far from coastal networks. They also help detect illegal fishing, oil spills, ship movements, coastal erosion, and changing ocean temperatures. Because oceans strongly influence global weather and climate, continuous satellite observation is essential. It gives scientists a worldwide view of sea conditions that ships and coastal stations cannot provide alone. Healthcare and Public Safety.
Space technology supports telemedicine, remote diagnosis, emergency location services,
and communication in areas with limited medical infrastructure. It can connect patients in
rural regions with doctors and specialists in cities.
Space-derived technology also benefits public safety and healthcare more broadly. NASA
reports that space research has improved medicine, transportation, public safety, consumer
products, computer technology, agriculture, and industrial processes.
Scientific Discovery
Space telescopes observe distant stars, galaxies, black holes, and planets with less
interference from Earth’s atmosphere. They help scientists study the origin of the universe,
the formation of stars, and planets outside our solar system.
Space probes and rovers explore the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and outer planets. These
missions expand scientific knowledge and test technologies needed for future human
exploration beyond Earth.
Space Stations and Research
Space stations provide a microgravity environment for experiments in medicine, biology,
materials science, and physics. Researchers can study how bones, muscles, plants, fluids,
flames, and crystals behave differently without Earth’s gravity.
These experiments can lead to new medicines, better materials, and improved technologies
on Earth. NASA states that space research creates benefits across health, medicine,
computing, transportation, environmental resources, and industry.
Economic Growth and Innovation
The space economy supports jobs in engineering, software, robotics, satellite manufacturing,
launch services, data analysis, and telecommunications. Global space-related revenues
reached an estimated $620 billion in 2024, showing how important the sector has become.
Private satellite networks are a major driver of this growth. SpaceX has launched 10,790
Starlink satellites since 2019 and reached 9.2 million satellite-internet customers, according
to Ookla’s 2025 global satellite broadband report.
Environmental Protection
Satellites detect deforestation, illegal mining, desertification, water pollution, air pollution,
and wildlife-habitat loss. This allows governments and environmental organizations to
respond with evidence-based action.
They also support sustainable land and water management. ESA notes that satellite
observation is a cost-effective way to create digital terrain models and land-cover data
needed for efficient land management and environmental monitoring.
Resources Used
– NASA Space Place — Satellites – NASA — GPS – NASA — Technology – NASA — Technology – NASA — Benefits Stemming from Space Exploration – NASA — Earth Science Technologies Developed for Space Applied at Home – ESA — Observing the Earth – ESA — Applications – ESA — Sustainable Development – ESA — Robotics and Energy Utilities PDF – ESA — Technology Transfer – ESA — Space Technology and City Life
- ESA — How Space Supports Daily Life – ESA — Space Benefits for Earth – ESA — Agriculture – ESA — Earth Observation – ESA Climate Office — MICAM – ESA Space Solutions — Agriculture Dossier – ESA — World Summit on Sustainable Development – Copernicus — Sentinel-1 – ESA — Space Data and the Global Food System – ESA — Commercial Space Opportunities for Sustainability – ESA Space Solutions — Food and Agriculture – ESA — Keeping an Eye on the Weather – GPS.gov — GPS Economic Benefits Report – GPS.gov — Presentation on GPS Benefits – GPS.gov — Advisory Meeting Document – GPS.gov – GPS.gov — GPS – GPS.gov — About – GPS.gov — National Coordination Office – GPS.gov — Helpful Links – GPS.gov — NASA – ECMWF — Satellite Data and Weather Forecasts – ECMWF — Partnerships with Space Agencies – EUMETSAT — EPS-SG Brochure – NOAA NESDIS — How Reliable Are Weather Forecasts? – NOAA NESDIS — New Satellite Missions and Weather Forecasts – ESA — Satellite Observations in Numerical Weather Prediction – U.S. House of Representatives — Hearing Document – Science in School — Forecasts from Orbit – Airbus — Weather Forecasting from Space to Your Smartphone – OECD — The Space Economy at a Glance 2026 – Starlink — 2025 – Starlink — Progress – Opensignal — Starlink’s Growing Customer Base – Ookla — 2025 Global Satellite Broadband Performance Report – S&P Global Market Intelligence — The State of Satellite Connectivity 2025 – PCMag — FCC Retracts 7 Million U.S. Starlink Subscriber Figure – PCMag — FCC Says Starlink Has Over 7 Million U.S. Subscribers – Ookla — Starlink Hits New U.S. Highs – Trade & Industry Development — Satellite Traffic – Live Science — How Many Satellites Could Fit in Earth Orbit? – Live Science — How Many Satellites Orbit Earth? – Statista — Active Satellites by Operator – World Economic Forum — Four Surprising Ways Space Technology Shapes Everyday Life – RNTFND — Economic Benefit of GPS Use in the United States – IEN — Benefits of U.S. Participation in Space – MIT — Guidelines for Technical Writing
3. Pakistan’s Current Space Capabilities
Pakistan’s current space capability is real but still limited: it can operate satellites and use
satellite data effectively, but it does not yet have an independent orbital launch capability.
SUPARCO operates two communications satellites—PAKSAT-1R, launched in 2011, and
PAKSAT-MM1, launched in 2024—along with multiple remote-sensing satellites including
PRSS-1, PakTES-1A, EO-1, and EO-2. By 2026, Pakistan had expanded its
Earth-observation fleet further, launching PRSC-EO1 in January 2025, PRSC-EO2 and
PRSC-EO3 in 2026, PRSC-S2 in July 2025, and its first hyperspectral satellite, HS-1, in
October 2025. SUPARCO also launched PRSC-S1, Pakistan’s first Synthetic Aperture Radar
(SAR) satellite, on 31 July 2025 from China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center; SAR
capability is important because it can observe Earth through clouds and at night. Pakistan
has satellite ground stations in Karachi and Islamabad, with two more planned, which
strengthens its ability to receive, process, and apply satellite data domestically. However,
every major Pakistani satellite has been launched on foreign rockets—primarily Chinese
vehicles, with PAUSAT-1 launched aboard a SpaceX rocket in January 2025—meaning
Pakistan remains dependent on external launch access. Its technical independence is
therefore strongest in satellite operations, ground infrastructure, remote-sensing
applications, and university-led small-satellite development, but weakest in launch vehicles,
large-scale satellite manufacturing, and deep-space systems.
Sources Used:
– UN-SPIDER — SUPARCO Regional Support Office – The Express Tribune — The Space Economy Comes Down to Earth – The Week — Pakistan’s Latest Satellite Strategy – SUPARCO — SAR-1 – Observer Research Foundation — Pakistan’s Military Modernisation and Its Implications for India.
4. Pakistan vs. the World’s Space Powers
Pakistan is a developing space-faring nation, while the United States, China, and India
operate at vastly larger scale in budgets, launch capacity, satellite fleets, and deep-space
missions. In 2023, the United States spent about US73.2𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒,𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑈𝑆
14.15 billion, India about US
- 69𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑡ℎ𝑒𝐸𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑈𝑆
2.814 billion;
Pakistan’s SUPARCO developmental budget for 2025–26 was only Rs 5.4 billion,
approximately US$19.2 million, later revised down to Rs 4.5 billion. The satellite gap is
equally wide: as of June 2024, more than 13,000 satellites were orbiting Earth, including
8,227 from the United States and 1,015 from China. By 2024, the United States had roughly
4,500–5,000 active satellites, China nearly 450, India 54, while Pakistan’s operational fleet
consists mainly of two communications satellites and a growing but much smaller
Earth-observation constellation. Launch capability shows the same pattern: the United
States conducted a record 154 orbital launches in 2024, China conducted 68, and India
conducted nine launch missions out of 15 total ISRO missions, whereas Pakistan conducted
no independent orbital launches. India also has a major advantage in cost-effective launch
systems through ISRO’s PSLV and SSLV, while China operates its own crewed space
station and lunar programme, and the United States leads in commercial space, Mars
exploration, and the Artemis Moon programme. Pakistan’s advantage is not scale but
strategic focus: through partnerships—especially with China—it has acquired
communications, optical remote-sensing, SAR, hyperspectral, and lunar CubeSat
experience without bearing the full cost of developing every system independently.
Sources Used
- – European Parliament — Space Policy – The Diplomat — Can Pakistan Make Its Space Program Great Again? – ThePrint — Satellite Power and the Space Race – UN-SPIDER — SUPARCO Regional Support Office – Orbital Radar — NASA
5. SUPARCO Controversies and Accountability
Public criticism of SUPARCO has focused less on verified criminal convictions and more on
slow progress, weak institutional performance, procurement concerns, and the gap between
ambitious announcements and delivered capability. Pakistan’s Auditor-General reports and
parliamentary oversight bodies have periodically examined public-sector development
projects, including SUPARCO’s PSDP-funded programmes, although detailed, easily
accessible audit findings specifically naming SUPARCO are limited in the public record. The
most substantiated criticism is performance-related: despite being founded in 1961,
SUPARCO managed only nine launches in total from 1961 to 2024, according to one expert
assessment, while India’s ISRO, founded in 1969, developed an independent launch fleet
and carried out 15 missions in 2024 alone. Budgetary performance has also raised
accountability questions. SUPARCO’s 2025–26 development budget was initially Rs 5.4
billion, about US$19.2 million, but was revised down to Rs 4.5 billion amid fiscal cuts linked
to Pakistan’s IMF programme. Earlier, the FY2024–25 PSDP allocation was Rs 35.617
billion, including Rs 30.650 billion in foreign aid, before additional technical supplementary
funding of Rs 5.5 billion was provided; this volatility makes it difficult to assess whether
resources are being used efficiently across multi-year satellite projects. Official responses
generally emphasize completed milestones—PAKSAT-MM1 in 2024, PRSC-EO1 in January
2025, PRSS-2/PRSC-S1 in July 2025, and HS-1 in October 2025—as evidence that the
agency is delivering results. A fair assessment is that SUPARCO has not been publicly
associated with a major, fully documented corruption conviction comparable to some other
state institutions, but it does face a serious accountability issue in the form of delayed
capability development, dependence on foreign partners, and insufficient transparency
around project costs, procurement, and long-term performance.
Sources Used
– Ministry of Finance — Budget Execution Report 2024–2025 – Ministry of Finance — Budget Report 2024–2025 – The Week — Pakistan’s Latest Satellite Strategy – The Diplomat — Can Pakistan Make Its Space Program Great Again? – Ministry of Planning — Government of Pakistan
6. Pakistan’s Economic and Political Challenges
Pakistan’s space ambitions are constrained by limited fiscal space, competing development
priorities, policy discontinuity, and dependence on external financing. In FY2024–25,
SUPARCO’s original PSDP allocation was Rs 35.617 billion, but much of this included Rs
30.650 billion in foreign aid, showing that domestic resources alone were insufficient for
major satellite programmes. By contrast, the 2025–26 developmental allocation fell to about
Rs 5.4 billion, or US$19.2 million, and was later revised to Rs 4.5 billion following cuts
connected to IMF-related fiscal consolidation. Pakistan’s broader development planning
reinforces this constraint: in 2026, the Annual Plan Coordination Committee directed that
more than 98% of available resources go to ongoing projects, prioritizing water, energy,
transport, and other core infrastructure rather than new experimental programmes. The
federal PSDP itself has faced repeated reductions, with reports noting cuts from an earlier
allocation of Rs 1,010 billion to Rs 820.513 billion, reflecting the pressure on all discretionary
development spending. Political discontinuity is another challenge: space programmes
require decades of stable funding, but Pakistan’s economic crises, IMF conditions, changes
in government, and shifting security priorities can interrupt multi-year satellite and research
projects. Research investment is also limited relative to the scale needed for launch
vehicles, advanced satellite manufacturing, and deep-space exploration. The National Space
Programme 2047 proposes satellites, launch vehicles, a launch facility, space-science
awareness, and indigenous capability, but turning that vision into reality will require
sustained, protected funding rather than year-to-year allocations. In short, Pakistan’s main
barrier is not a lack of scientific talent or strategic need, but the absence of predictable,
long-term economic and political support for a capital-intensive space programme.
Sources Used:
- – Ministry of Finance — Budget Execution Report 2024–2025 – The Diplomat — Can Pakistan Make Its Space Program Great Again? – Ministry of Planning — Government of Pakistan – The Nation — Development Spending – Ministry of Finance — Medium-Term Performance-Based Budget.
7. Space Education in Pakistan
Pakistan has a growing space-education base, led by the Institute of Space Technology
(IST) in Islamabad, which was established in 2002 under SUPARCO’s patronage. IST offers
undergraduate and graduate programmes in aerospace engineering, space science, global
navigation satellite systems, and astrophysics, directly linking university education to
national space-sector needs. The university also emphasizes industry connections,
internships, placements, and job opportunities for graduates, which is essential because
space capability depends not only on satellites but on trained engineers, data scientists,
technicians, and project managers. SUPARCO itself provides research and
experimental-learning opportunities for university students, with final-year BS or engineering
students eligible to apply when they have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Other
institutions, including the University of Karachi’s Institute of Space Science and Technology,
offer advanced study in remote sensing and GIS, satellite orbits and communication, and
aerospace studies. Student-led projects have also become an important pathway into
practical space engineering: Pakistan’s first lunar satellite, iCube-Qamar, was developed by
the Institute of Space Technology in collaboration with China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong
University and launched aboard China’s Chang’e-6 mission in 2024. This demonstrates that
Pakistani students and researchers can participate in sophisticated international missions
when given access to funding, mentors, and launch opportunities. The main gap is scale:
Pakistan needs more aerospace departments, research laboratories, scholarships,
satellite-design facilities, and private-sector internships so that space education produces a
larger, job-ready workforce rather than a small group of specialists.
Sources Used :
– Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Education – Institute of Space Technology — Admissions – AcademicJobs — Institute of Space Technology – NED University — Student Notice – University of Karachi — Institute of Space Science and Technology – China National Space Administration
8. Pakistan’s Role in the International Space Community
Pakistan plays a meaningful but partnership-dependent role in the international space
community, with China as its principal collaborator and additional cooperation through
UN-linked and academic networks. SUPARCO is a Regional Support Office of the United
Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency
Response (UN-SPIDER), which connects Pakistan to international disaster-mapping and
emergency-response cooperation. Its most important bilateral relationship is with China:
China launched Pakistan’s first satellite, Badr-1, in 1990 and has supported PAKSAT-1R,
PRSS-1, PakTES-1A, PAKSAT-MM1, PRSS-2, and multiple PRSC Earth-observation
satellites. The partnership reached a historic point in 2024, when Pakistan’s iCube-Qamar
became the country’s first lunar satellite and was carried aboard China’s Chang’e-6 mission
from Wenchang Space Launch Site. Pakistan has also diversified slightly: PAUSAT-1 was
launched aboard a SpaceX rocket on 14 January 2025, showing that Pakistani institutions
can access international commercial launch providers as well as Chinese state launch
services. SUPARCO’s Earth-observation work also contributes internationally through
disaster monitoring, agriculture, and environmental applications, areas in which UN-SPIDER
specifically supports the use of satellite information for emergency response. Pakistan’s
contribution to the international community is therefore strongest in South-South
cooperation, satellite applications for development, and collaboration with China, rather than
in independent launch services or large-scale deep-space exploration. Its future international
standing will depend on whether it can move from being a user and partner in foreign
missions to becoming a reliable supplier of satellite data, small satellites, ground services,
and regional space applications.
Sources Used
– UN-SPIDER — SUPARCO Regional Support Office – South Asian Voices — China-Pakistan Space Cooperation – China National Space Administration – The Week — Pakistan’s Latest Satellite Strategy – Ministry of Planning — Government of Pakistan
9. Can Pakistan Become a Leading Space Nation?
Pakistan can become a strong regional space nation, but becoming a global space power
would require decades of sustained investment, political continuity, and major gains in
indigenous launch and manufacturing capability. A leading space nation is not defined only
by prestige missions; it needs reliable launch vehicles, a large satellite fleet, advanced
ground infrastructure, commercial space companies, skilled human capital, and the ability to
design and build critical systems domestically. Pakistan currently has operational
communications and Earth-observation satellites, ground stations in Karachi and Islamabad,
and growing university-led satellite expertise, but it still relies on foreign rockets for launch.
The funding gap is decisive: Pakistan allocated roughly US
- 2𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑆𝑈𝑃𝐴𝑅𝐶𝑂’𝑠2025–26𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑏𝑢𝑑𝑔𝑒𝑡,𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑎’𝑠𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦𝑈𝑆
- 15𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠’𝑈𝑆
1.69 billion government space spending in 2023, China’s US
73.2 billion. Pakistan’s own National Space Programme
2047 recognizes this gap by calling for satellites, launch vehicles, a launch facility,
space-science awareness, and indigenous capability. Realistic benchmarks would include:
first, a reliable Pakistani-built small-satellite launch vehicle; second, a constellation of at least
10–20 domestically produced Earth-observation satellites; third, a commercial satellite-data
industry serving agriculture, disaster management, and infrastructure; and fourth, a
university pipeline producing thousands of aerospace and geospatial professionals annually.
Pakistan’s recent progress—PRSC-EO1, PRSC-S1, HS-1, PAKSAT-MM1, and
iCube-Qamar—shows that it can move faster when partnerships and funding align. The
realistic conclusion is that Pakistan can become a leading South Asian space-application
and small-satellite nation, but it is unlikely to match the United States, China, or India in
launch capacity or deep-space exploration without a transformation in funding, industrial
policy, and institutional continuity.
Sources Used:
- – European Parliament — Space Policy – The Diplomat — Can Pakistan Make Its Space Program Great Again? – Ministry of Finance — Medium-Term Performance-Based Budget – UN-SPIDER — SUPARCO Regional Support Office – The Week — Pakistan’s Latest Satellite Strategy
10. Pakistan’s Untapped Potential
Pakistan’s greatest untapped potential lies in its young population, engineering talent,
satellite-data applications, and possible private-sector participation. Pakistan has a large
pool of engineering and computer-science students, and institutions such as the Institute of
Space Technology already provide specialized education in aerospace engineering, space
science, GNSS, and astrophysics. The success of iCube-Qamar proves that Pakistani
universities can build internationally relevant space hardware when supported by
experienced partners; the satellite was developed by IST with Shanghai Jiao Tong University
and launched on China’s Chang’e-6 mission in 2024. SUPARCO’s student programmes also
create a direct talent pipeline, offering research and experimental-learning opportunities to
final-year students with a GPA of 3.0 or above. The commercial opportunity is equally
significant: Pakistan’s satellite market was estimated at US
300𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑛2025𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑈𝑆
415 million by 2032, growing at a 4.7% CAGR.
Pakistan could develop expertise in satellite imagery analytics, precision agriculture, flood
mapping, logistics, telecommunications, GIS services, drone-satellite integration, and
small-satellite manufacturing. Its expanding fleet of optical, SAR, and hyperspectral satellites
creates raw data that can be converted into commercial and public-sector products, from
crop-yield forecasts to urban-planning tools. The main missing ingredient is a stronger
private-sector ecosystem: Pakistan needs startups, venture funding, regulatory clarity, and
government procurement programmes that allow local firms to build satellite components,
ground equipment, and data services. If Pakistan connects its universities, SUPARCO, and
private companies into one innovation ecosystem, its human capital could become the
foundation of a much larger space economy.
Sources Used :
- – Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Education – Institute of Space Technology — Admissions – NED University — Student Notice – China National Space Administration – 6Wresearch — Pakistan Satellite Market Outlook – 6Wresearch — Pakistan Satellite Payload Market
11.The Civilian Benefits of Space Technology
Space technology offers Pakistan direct civilian benefits in agriculture, disaster
management, weather forecasting, communications, environmental monitoring, and
economic planning. Pakistan’s remote-sensing satellites can monitor crops, soil conditions,
irrigation patterns, deforestation, urban expansion, and land use, helping policymakers make
evidence-based decisions. PRSS-2, launched on 31 July 2025, was specifically intended for
resource mapping, agricultural monitoring, land-use analysis, and economic planning,
including applications connected to CPEC infrastructure. Pakistan’s first SAR satellite,
PRSC-S1, adds an important civilian capability because radar imaging can observe the
surface through cloud cover and at night—conditions that often limit ordinary optical
satellites during floods and severe weather. This is particularly valuable in Pakistan, where
floods, droughts, glacial melt, and climate-related disasters regularly affect millions of
people. Satellite communications also support connectivity in remote areas, broadcasting,
emergency communications, telemedicine, online education, and digital-government
services through PAKSAT-1R and PAKSAT-MM1. SUPARCO’s role as a UN-SPIDER
Regional Support Office further strengthens the civilian use of satellite data for disaster
preparedness and emergency response. In economic terms, satellite services can reduce
losses by improving early warnings, guiding relief operations, improving crop productivity,
and supporting infrastructure planning. The civilian value of space technology is therefore
not abstract: it can help Pakistan manage water, food, climate risk, connectivity, and
development more intelligently.
Sources Used:
– SUPARCO — Frequently Asked Questions – SUPARCO — SAR-1 – Centre for International Strategic Studies — Report – UN-SPIDER — SUPARCO Regional Support Office – SUPARCO — PAKSAT-MM1
12. Pakistan’s Space Programme: Ambition vs. Reality
Pakistan’s space programme shows genuine recent progress, but its long-term record
reveals a major gap between official ambition and sustained delivery. SUPARCO was
established in 1961 and launched Pakistan’s first rocket, Rehbar-I, in 1962, but it took until
1990 to launch the country’s first satellite, Badr-1. From 1961 to 2024, SUPARCO managed
only nine launches in total, according to one expert assessment, while India’s ISRO
conducted 15 missions in 2024 alone, including nine launch missions. Official ambitions
have expanded significantly: Pakistan’s National Space Programme 2047 calls for satellite
development, launch vehicles, a launch facility, space-science awareness, and self-reliant
space capability. The government has also stated a goal of a Moon mission by 2035,
following the success of iCube-Qamar in 2024. Recent achievements support some
optimism: Pakistan launched PRSC-EO1 in January 2025, PRSC-S1 and PRSS-2 in July
2025, HS-1 in October 2025, and PRSC-EO2 and PRSC-EO3 in early 2026. PAKSAT-MM1
became fully operational in September 2024, and PRSS-2 was declared operational after
launch in July 2025. However, the reality is that Pakistan still lacks an independent launch
vehicle, depends heavily on China for launches and satellite development, and operates with
a development budget of only about US$19.2 million in 2025–26, later reduced to Rs 4.5
billion. The honest assessment is that Pakistan has moved from stagnation to renewed
activity, but its ambitions will remain aspirational unless it secures stable funding, builds
indigenous engineering capacity, and delivers measurable milestones on schedule.
Sources Used:
– Ministry of Planning — Government of Pakistan – The Week — Pakistan’s Latest Satellite Strategy – Ministry of Finance — Medium-Term Performance-Based Budget – The Diplomat — Can Pakistan Make Its Space Program Great Again? – Profit by Pakistan Today — Pakistan’s New Remote-Sensing Satellite
13. References and Sources- Ministry of Finance — Budget
Execution Report 2024–2025 – Ministry of Finance — Budget Report 2024–2025 – Ministry of Finance — Medium-Term Performance-Based Budget – Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives — Government of Pakistan – Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives — Government of Pakistan – SUPARCO — Frequently Asked Questions – SUPARCO — Satellite Programmes – SUPARCO — PAKSAT-MM1 – SUPARCO — SAR-1 – UN-SPIDER — SUPARCO Regional Support Office – China National Space Administration – South Asian Voices — China-Pakistan Space Cooperation – European Parliament — Space Policy – The Diplomat — Can Pakistan Make Its Space Program Great Again? – The Week — Pakistan’s Latest Satellite Strategy – ThePrint — Satellite Power and the Space Race – Observer Research Foundation — Pakistan’s Military Modernisation and Its Implications for
India – The Express Tribune — The Space Economy Comes Down to Earth – Profit by Pakistan Today — Pakistan’s New Remote-Sensing Satellite – Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Education – Institute of Space Technology — Admissions – University of Karachi — Institute of Space Science and Technology – 6Wresearch — Pakistan Satellite Market Outlook – 6Wresearch — Pakistan Satellite Payload Market – Space Foundation — The Space Report 2025, Q2 – Space Foundation — Global Space Economy Analysis – Payload — Breaking Down the $686B Space Economy – Breaking Defense — Global Military Space Spending
- SpacePolicyOnline.com — Commercial Space Activities – The Nation — Development Spending
Conclusion: Where Does Pakistan Stand?
Pakistan stands in the global space race as a re-emerging, partnership-dependent space
nation: capable of operating satellites and applying space data, but still without independent
launch capacity or a mature domestic space industry. Its recent record is
real—PAKSAT-MM1, PRSC-EO1, the SAR satellite PRSC-S1, the hyperspectral HS-1, and
the lunar CubeSat iCube-Qamar show that Pakistan can participate in increasingly
sophisticated missions. Yet the scale remains modest: SUPARCO’s 2025–26 development
budget was about US$19.2 million and was later reduced to Rs 4.5 billion, while Pakistan
continues to rely chiefly on Chinese launch services. The success of iCube-Qamar,
developed by the Institute of Space Technology with Chinese partners and flown on
Chang’e-6, proves Pakistani scientific capability; it does not yet prove national self-reliance.
Pakistan’s obstacles are therefore less about imagination than institutional delivery. A
programme that began in 1961 cannot be judged only by announcements of satellites,
launch vehicles, or a Moon mission by 2035; it must be judged by whether funding remains
stable, projects finish on schedule, procurement is transparent, and technical skills translate
into domestically designed and manufactured systems. Pakistan needs protected long-term
investment, stronger university-to-industry links, research laboratories, satellite-data
enterprises, and a credible path toward an indigenous small-satellite launch capability.
Without these changes, partnerships will continue to provide access to space, but not the
industrial independence that separates a satellite operator from a genuine space power.
Pakistan’s place in space should therefore be judged not by the scale of its ambitions, but by
the scientific capabilities it builds, the results it delivers, and the accountability it maintains. If
it converts its engineering talent and recent momentum into reliable institutions, domestic
industry, and measurable milestones, it can become a serious regional space-application
and small-satellite nation; if not, its space dream will remain a collection of impressive
launches carried on other countries’ rockets.
Resources Used:
- – China National Space Administration – The Diplomat — Can Pakistan Make Its Space Program Great Again? – SUPARCO — Satellite Programmes – SUPARCO — SAR-1 – UN-SPIDER — SUPARCO Regional Support Office – Ministry of Finance — Medium-Term Performance-Based Budget – Ministry of Planning — Government of Pakistan – Institute of Space Technology — Admissions – European Parliament — Space Policy – The Week — Pakistan’s Latest Satellite Strategy
