Pakistan

Pakistani scientists invited to watch China's space flight launch

China and Pakistan set to invest $46 million to launch satellite in 2018

News Desk September 17, 2016

China has invited Pakistani scientists to watch the launch of its manned space flight.

Scientists from Germany, Russia, Italy and France have also been invited to watch the launch of Shenzhou 11, a commentator on state-run CCTV said Friday night.

China eyes year-long stays for space station astronauts

The manned space flight, Shenzhou 11, will be propelled into space next month from Inner Mongolia, sending two astronauts to join a space lab, Tiangong 2. The lab is expected to operate over the next five years. It will coexist with Tiangong 1, which is expected to crash to Earth next year. The astronauts are scheduled to spend 30 days in orbit at the lab conducting experiments. Shenzhou 11 is part of China's plans to build its manned space station by 2022.

China has greatly assisted Pakistan's space programme, launching Pakistan's communication Satellite PAKSAT-1R in 2011. Reports from Islamabad have stated that the two countries are set to invest $46 million to launch a remote sensing satellite in 2018 to monitor China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Three astronauts from International Space Station make parachute landing

On Friday, a senior project designer told Chinese media that Beijing could send astronauts to its space station for more than a year at a time once it goes operational in 2022. The country’s second space lab, the Tiangong-2 — or Heavenly Palace-2 — blasted off Thursday night from the Gobi desert and is expected to operate for at least two years, the latest stage of the Asia’s giant’s ambitious space programme.

Construction on a space station will start in as early as 2017 and take around three years, before it enters into service in 2022, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing Zhu Zongpeng, chief designer of the space lab system. Astronauts could be stationed in orbit for missions that last for more than one year in the facility, which has an initial designed life of at least 10 years, Zhu said, according to the report. The longest single stay in space by a human so far is 437 days by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov.

This article originally appeared on Times of India.

COMMENTS (11)

observer | 7 years ago | Reply Pakistani scientists invited to watch China's space flight launch This is a 'singular achievement' by Pakistani Scientists. No Indian ever has reached such heights in pursuit of science. Maybe the Chinese would like to learn the Water Car Technology from Pakistani Scientists.

observer | 7 years ago | Reply Pakistani scientists invited to watch China's space flight launch This is a 'singular achievent' by Pakistani Scientists. No Indian ever has reached such heights in pursuit of science. Maybe the Chinese would ;like to learn the Water Car Technology from Pakistani Scientists.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

SB | 7 years ago | Reply In a given state of pakistan,this is best opportunity to at least watch live a mega event. att the best.

Haji Atiya | 7 years ago | Reply @haider: You have to actually blame Ayub Khan for putting our rocket development and space program on the back burner.

Avtar | 7 years ago | Reply good for Pakistan scientists. Keep the conversation civilized. No need for name calling

Humanoids | 7 years ago | Reply @Moheb e watan: Then he needed the same SUPARCO to fly to Dubai! Mushy would have sold Steel mill for dimes had it not been for the supreme court!

just_someone | 7 years ago | Reply @سے Shaam (Hanafi): you know nothing about pakistan based on that comment. im guessing youre indian... in which case, im not surprised, you people are beyond ignorant, even the ones who live in the west for years. if those are like that, i can only imagine how the domestic population is

Moheb e watan | 7 years ago | Reply SUPARCO is an expensive joke for Pakistani tax payer. In 2006. Pervez Musharaf clearly warned SUPARCO about its poor peformance and that it must perform and atleast launch satellite from its own range. Today in 2016 its still in same state. Now the opportunistic team including GM/DH will jump high to visit this chinese event and will come back to their normal routine as always.

سے Shaam (Hanafi) | 7 years ago | Reply This is an Irony a religious 24/7 country in dark ages, and an Atheist country running space program.

haider | 7 years ago | Reply what a an awful feeling it would be for Pakistani Scientists to watch a manned mission while think that SUPARCO was established well before Chinese Agencies and ISRO.. where did we make mistake that we are left so behind that can't even launch a indigenous satellite from our own soil!

Fareeha Nadeem | 7 years ago | Reply MQM should be finished and they should go to there real home . The tax should not be only on MPA MNA the tax should also be on Sattar. they have ruined Pakistan and they are trying to finish Pakistan. They are trying to take Pakistan out of their roots..... I am proud of our police, army and Raheel Shareef. SSP has done a great job by putting these people behind the bars....

Replying to X