Pakistan sends Cubesat to lunar orbit with China's assistance

In a significant advancement in lunar exploration collaboration, China has transferred satellite data from the Chang'e 6 mission to Pakistan. The data, collected by a cube satellite named ICUBE-Q, was formally handed over during a ceremony in Beijing.

Zhang Kejian, the director of the China National Space Administration, presented the data package to Khalil-ur-Rahman Hashmi, the Pakistani Ambassador to China, signaling a deepened cooperative effort in space technology between the two nations.

The ICUBE-Q satellite, a joint project between Pakistan's Institute of Space Technology and China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was among the four international payloads aboard the Chang'e-6 lunar probe, which launched on May 3. After separating from the Chang'e-6 orbiter on May 8, ICUBE-Q began its mission, which includes capturing lunar images.