On May 10, according to media reports, the China National Space Administration held a data handover ceremony for the Pakistan Cubesat of the Chang'e-6 mission in Beijing.
According to official information, at 16:14 on May 8, one of the international payloads carried by the Chang'e-6 mission, CubeSat Pakistan, successfully separated from the orbiter near the apogee of the 12-hour circumlunar elliptical orbit.
Immediately afterward, the CubeSat lived up to expectations and successfully captured the first image of the Moon, in which the sun was the bright light. This milestone not only demonstrates the excellent performance of Pakistan's CubeSat, but also once again proves the strength of cooperation between China and Pakistan in the field of aerospace.
The development process of Pakistan's CubeSat can be described as meticulous preparation and arduous work. As early as the beginning of 2023, the Pakistan Institute of Space Technology and Shanghai Jiao Tong University joined hands to launch the joint development of the CubeSat.
After nearly a year of careful design and repeated testing, the final assembly, testing and launch site preparation with the probe were finally completed as planned in 2024. On May 3, with the successful launch of the Chang'e-6 probe, Pakistan's CubeSat also embarked on its journey to the moon.
The main mission of Pakistan's CubeSat this time is to image in orbit and look for key information such as traces of water ice on the lunar surface. Through high-precision imaging technology, CubeSat will provide scientists with a wealth of valuable lunar data, which will help us better understand the mysteries of the moon.
The successful implementation of Pakistan's CubeSat project has also verified the feasibility of nanosatellite lunar orbit exploration technology, and laid a solid foundation for cooperation between China and Pakistan in the future lunar and deep space exploration missions.