SUPARCO took a good start in 1961 but could not maintain the positive developments it initiated
KARACHI: Pakistan, despite being a nuclear power, has limited space capabilities and has not been able to build or launch its own satellite to date. Space technology is now considered to be the fourth dimension of warfare and Pakistan’s dependence on space applications and information is likely to increase as far as exploration of mineral resources and gathering information about environmental processes are concerned.
However, Pakistan lags far behind quite a few other South Asian countries, particularly India, in the space race. Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, (SUPARCO), took a good start in 1961 and began to move forward but could not maintain the positive developments it initiated. Economic challenges, poor governance and global sanctions that SUPARCO suffered from, account for diminutive progress in the space research field. The only significant advancements made by SUPARCO are in the area of developing military missiles. Our only ray of hope currently is that SUPARCO’S 2040 Space Programme emerges successfully. All efforts should be made to make it a success.
Sidra Talha
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2015.
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