Latest news with #Chang'e-8
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
With support from China, Pakistan aims to land spacecraft on Moon by 2035
Despite starting its space research programme almost a decade earlier than India, Pakistan is gearing up to land a spacecraft on the Moon by 2035, as stated by the country's Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, Geo News reported. The lunar mission has been tasked to Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO),(X) The announcement came as the nation currently struggles with the rise of terrorist attacks, basic infrastructure and economic instability. Speaking during a meeting in Beijing with Chinese officials, including Head of China's Atomic Energy Authority and Space Agency Shan Zhongde, Iqbal called for deeper reliance on China to fill gaps in Pakistan's space and nuclear programs, Geo News reported. The lunar mission has been tasked to Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), which is yet to launch a satellite or space mission all on its own, particularly without the assistance of China. Pakistan will contribute a 35-kilogram lunar rover to China's Chang'e-8 mission in 2028, which aims to explore the Moon's south pole. The rover will conduct scientific experiments, analyse terrain, and assess resource utilisation. Meanwhile, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has made significant strides compared to its neighbour, with notable success with its lunar mission, Chandrayaan and Mars mission, Mangalyaan. India is now also on its way to its first manned mission in space, Gaganyaan, scheduled for the first quarter of early 2027. According to Geo News, the discussion between the two sides, framed as strategic cooperation, largely highlighted Pakistan's growing dependence on Chinese technology and expertise. Iqbal promoted the "Uraan Pakistan" initiative, claiming that the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reinvigorated the country's stagnant space science sector, Geo News reported. He noted that three Pakistani-made satellites were launched recently, though all with significant Chinese assistance, and Pakistan now hopes to again piggyback on China's space station to send its first astronaut by 2026, with no clear independent capability. With climate change and domestic resource crises looming, Iqbal shifted focus to energy, calling for more Chinese support in nuclear power and cutting-edge tech like quantum computing, a field in which Pakistan has little to no native capacity. Pakistan's space sector, led by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), was established in 1961 by Dr Abdus Salam, a Nobel laureate and scientific advisor to President Ayub. Insufficient government funding has hindered SUPARCO's progress, with an annual budget of $36 million compared to India's ISRO, which receives significantly more. SUPARCO has faced leadership issues, with retired army generals heading the agency for the past 11 years, raising questions about its scientific direction. Moreover, Pakistan relies heavily on China for satellite launches and development, limiting its indigenous capabilities. Few universities in Pakistan offer space-related courses, restricting the growth of skilled professionals. Meanwhile, the Pakistani government had once again failed to honour its financial commitments under the CPEC, with outstanding payments to Chinese power producers ballooning to PKR 423 billion by June 2025, as reported by The Express Tribune. Chinese official Shan Zhongde responded with predictable diplomacy, praising Pakistan's alignment with Chinese interests and reaffirming Beijing's role as the driving force behind any meaningful scientific or economic advancement Pakistan hopes to achieve.
News18
5 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Pakistan Sets Sights On Moon, Hopes China Can Give It A Lift By 2035
Last Updated: Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) will oversee the lunar exploration mission as Islamabad deepens its reliance on Chinese assistance. Pakistan is gearing up to land its first spacecraft on the Moon by 2035 with the help of its all-weather friend China, despite starting its space research programme almost a decade before India, which successfully accomplished the task in 2023. During a meeting with Chinese officials, Pakistan's Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, called for deeper reliance on China to fill gaps in Pakistan's space and nuclear programmes, according to Geo News. Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) has been tasked with overseeing the lunar exploration mission. SUPARCO is yet to launch a satellite or space mission on its own to space. Pakistan's Dependence On China Iqbal said Pakistan would create and attach a 35-kg lunar rover to China's Chang'e-8 mission in 2028 to explore the Moon's South Pole. The rover will conduct scientific experiments, analyse terrain, and assess resource utilisation. The meeting also included Head of China's Atomic Energy Authority and Space Agency, Shan Zhongde. The discussion largely highlighted Pakistan's growing dependence on Chinese technology and expertise. Iqbal claimed that the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reinvigorated the country's stagnant space science sector through the 'Uraan Pakistan" initiative. He also said three Pakistani-made satellites were launched recently with China's assistance, and Islamabad aims to send its first astronaut to space by 2026 by relying again on China's space station, clearly lacking independent capability. Pakistan's Problems Notably, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has made significant strides in space exploration compared to its neighbour, with notable success with its lunar mission, Chandrayaan, in 2023, and its Mars mission, Mangalyaan. India is now also on its way to its first manned mission in space, Gaganyaan, scheduled for the first quarter of early 2027. On the other hand, Pakistan has been struggling with the rise of terrorist attacks, basic infrastructure and economic instability. The SUPARCO has been impeded by limited government spending and leadership issues, with retired army generals heading the agency for the past 11 years. Pakistan relies heavily on China for satellite launches and development, limiting its indigenous capabilities. The battered country has sought more Chinese help in nuclear power and quantum computing amid a domestic resource crunch. Meanwhile, the Pakistani government once again failed to meet its financial obligations under CPEC, with overdue payments to Chinese power producers soaring to PKR 423 billion by June 2025, according to The Express Tribune. (with ANI inputs) Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Science
- Daily Mirror
China confirms bombshell plan to build nuclear base on MOON – and Vladimir Putin's involved too
China has unveiled a bombshell new plan to join forces with Russia and build a nuclear plant on the moon which will power a research station. It comes as the East Asian country today launched three astronauts into space to replace the crew on its Tiangong space station. In a bid to become a major space power - and land astronauts on the moon by 2030 - China 's new Chang'e-8 mission will aim to test resource technologies at the moon 's south pole and build a lunar base, specifically the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The mission, scheduled to launch around 2028, is also set to explore 3D printing with lunar soil and the use of a robotic arm and potentially a humanoid robot sent up to the moon to explore its surface. Chang'e-8's Chief Engineer Pei Zhaoyu revealed in a presentation in Shanghai on Wednesday that the lunar base 's energy supply could depend on large-scale solar arrays, as well as pipelines and cables for heating and electricity built on the moon's surface. Lat year, Russia's space agency Roscosmos said it planned to build a nuclear reactor on the moon's surface with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) by 2035 to power the ILRS. Although it is yet to be formally announced, the inclusion of the nuclear power unit at the conference, held for officials from the 17 countries and international organisations that make up the ILRS, Beijing appears to support the idea. Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, told Reuters: "An important question for the ILRS is power supply, and in this Russia has a natural advantage, when it comes to nuclear power plants, especially sending them into space, it leads the world, it is ahead of the United States." After little progress on talks over a space-based reactor in the past, "I hope this time both countries can send a nuclear reactor to the moon," Wu said. China's timeline to build an outpost on the moon's south pole coincides with NASA's Artemis programme, which aims to put US astronauts back on the moon in December 2025. Wu said last year that a "basic model" of the lunar research station, centred around the moon's south pole, would be built by 2035. Going forward, China will create the "555 Project," inviting 50 countries, 500 international scientific research institutions, and 5,000 overseas researchers to join the ILRS. Researchers from Roscosmos also shared more exciting details about plans to look for mineral and water resources at the conference in Shanghai, including possibly using lunar material as fuel. The ILRS preceded Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but incentives for cooperation between Roscosmos and CNSA have increased since the outbreak of the war, according to Chinese analysts. With China's rapid technological advances and lunar achievements, and as Western sanctions prevent Roscosmos from many imports of space technology and equipment, China can now "alleviate the pressure" on Russia and help it "achieve new breakthroughs in satellite launches, lunar exploration, and space stations," Liu Ying, a researcher at the Chinese foreign ministry's diplomatic academy, wrote in a journal article last year.
India Today
24-04-2025
- Science
- India Today
China, Russia planning to build nuclear plant on the Moon to power lunar station
China and Russia are planning to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon to power their joint lunar research International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), being planned jointly by China and Russia, will need power that will have to be produced alternatively on the Moon to ensure the smooth and long-term functioning of the research aims to become a major space power and land astronauts on the moon by 2030, and its planned Chang'e-8 mission for 2028 would lay the groundwork for constructing a permanent, manned lunar "An important question for the ILRS is power supply, and in this Russia has a natural advantage, when it comes to nuclear power plants, especially sending them into space, it leads the world, it is ahead of the United States," Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, told Reuters on the sidelines of the lunar base's energy supply could also depend on large-scale solar arrays, and pipelines and cables for heating and electricity built on the moon's space agency Roscosmos said last year it planned to build a nuclear reactor on the moon's surface with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) by 2035 to power the inclusion of the nuclear power unit in a Chinese space official's presentation at a conference for officials from the 17 countries and international organisations that make up the ILRS suggests Beijing supports the idea, although it has never formally announced it. Beijing supports the idea, although it has never formally announced it. (Photo: AFP) advertisementThe latest announcement comes even as Nasa struggles to get Artemis mission timeline sorted amid a new push to go to Mars under the new Trump administration backed by SpaceX chief Elon timeline to build an outpost on the moon's south pole coincides with NASA's more ambitious and advanced Artemis programme, which aims to put U.S. astronauts back on the lunar surface in December said last year that a "basic model" of the ILRS, with the Moon's south pole as its core, would be built by 2035. In the future, China will create the "555 Project," inviting 50 countries, 500 international scientific research institutions, and 5,000 overseas researchers to join the from Roscosmos also presented at the conference in Shanghai, sharing details about plans to look for mineral and water resources, including possibly using lunar material as fuel.
RTHK
24-04-2025
- Science
- RTHK
Chang'e-8 lunar mission to be launched in 2029
Chang'e-8 lunar mission to be launched in 2029 The Chang'e-8 lunar mission will feature a multi-functional robot designed by Hong Kong researchers. File photo: AFP The China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Thursday that the Chang'e-8 lunar probe is scheduled for launch around 2029 and will carry payloads from 11 countries and regions and one international organization as part of international cooperation. The announcement was made at the opening ceremony for 2025 Space Day of China, which is celebrated annually on April 24. The Chang'e-8 mission will target the Leibnitz-Beta Plateau near the lunar south pole region, working with the earlier Chang'e-7 mission to conduct scientific exploration and in-situ resource utilization experiments. These efforts will lay the groundwork for the future International Lunar Research Station. According to CNSA, the 10 selected collaborative projects include a multi-functional robot designed by researchers in Hong Kong, a lunar rover developed by Pakistan and the International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems, an exploration rover made by Turkey and radio astronomical instruments from South Africa and Peru. The projects also include Italy's laser retroreflector arrays, Russia's plasma and dust analyzer and high-energy particle detector, Thailand's neutron analyzer, Bahrain and Egypt's lunar surface imaging system and Iran's lunar potential monitor. Shan Zhongde, head of CNSA, said China will work closely with international partners to achieve new scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs that will ultimately benefit all of humanity. CNSA announced in October 2023 international cooperation opportunities for Chang'e-8 lunar mission, which offered 200 kilograms of payload resources for global partners. A total of 41 cooperation proposals were received.(Xinhua)
