The Space Programme 2040 is a satellite development and launch initiative undertaken by

SUPARCO The Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, commonly referred to as SUPARCO, is the national space agency of Pakistan. The agency, originally established in 1961 as a committee in Karachi, became an independent commission in 1981. Its in ...

, Pakistan's national space agency. The program aims to replace the country's existing Badr satellite series and establish a new fleet of satellites. The program's timeline spans from 2011 to 2040, during which SUPARCO has planned to launch five geostationary (GEO) satellites and six low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The first satellite under this program,

PakSAT-1R Paksat-1R (or Paksat-1 Replacement) is a geosynchronous, communications satellite that was manufactured by China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) and operated by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), an executiv ...

, was successfully launched on August 11, 2011, from the

Xichang Satellite Launch Center The Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC), also known as the Xichang Space Center, is a spaceport in China. It is located in (), Mianning county, approximately northwest of Xichang, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan. It is op ...

in China. The primary objectives of the Space Programme 2040 are to advance satellite technology, promote socio-economic development, conduct scientific research, and develop military capabilities. The program received official approval from Prime Minister Yousaf Gillani in July 2011, with funding allocated in the 2011 Pakistan fiscal year budget.

Remote sensing satellites

Prior to the Space Programme 2040, SUPARCO had successfully launched the ''Badr-II'' satellite in 2001. ''Badr-II'' was Pakistan's first

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an geocentric orbit, orbit around Earth with a orbital period, period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an orbital eccentricity, eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial object ...

(LEO) satellite and was launched from the

Baikonur Cosmodrome The Baikonur Cosmodrome is a spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan. Located in the Kazakh city of Baikonur, it is the largest operational space launch facility in terms of area. All Russian Human spaceflight, crewed spaceflights are l ...

by Russia's

Roscosmos The State Corporation for Space Activities "Roscosmos", commonly known simply as Roscosmos (), is a State corporation (Russia), state corporation of the Russian Federation responsible for space science, space flights, List of space agencies, c ...

. A key component of the Space Programme 2040 was the development and launch of six

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an physical object, object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring inform ...

satellites. SUPARCO aimed to launch its first remote sensing satellite, the '' PRSS-O1'', in 2018. *''PRSS-O1'' *''PRSS-S1'' *''PRSS-O2'' *''PRSS-S2'' *''PRSS-O3'' *''PRSS-S3''

Communications satellites

The ''Paksat-IR'' satellite marked a historic milestone in Pakistan's space program. Launched on August 11, 2011, at 9:17 PM (PKT), it was the first geostationary (GEO) satellite to be deployed as part of the Space Programme 2040. The satellite was carried into orbit by a Long March 3E rocket from the

in China's Sichuan province. The GEO satellites that are under development or proposed are listed below: *'' Paksat-MM1'' *''Paksat-MM2'' *''Paksat-II''

Electro-Optical Observation satellites

* ''PAUSAT-1 satellite'' * ''

PRSC-EO1 satellite PRSC-EO1 (Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite - Earth Observation 1) is an Electro-Optical Satellite developed by Pakistan's Space Agency (SUPARCO). It was launched from China's Jiuquan Satellite Centre on January 17, 2025, by China Great Wall I ...

References

{{Politics of outer space SUPARCO missions Science and technology in Pakistan 2040 in science Government of Yousaf Raza Gillani Policies of Pakistan