Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite


The Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite, commercially known as Remote Sensing Satellite System, is a dual-purpose Earth observational and optical satellite. Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite-1 was launched from China's Jiuquan Satellite Centre on 9 July 2018.

History

After successful launching and operation of Badr satellite programme which contained the experimental Low Earth Observational satellites in the 1990s and early 2000s, SUPARCO launched the work on the high resolution Remote Sensing Satellite to meet the national and international user requirements in the field of satellite imagery.
The PRS program was planned to be a progressive and sustainable program with an initial plans to launch an optical satellite with payload of 2.5 metre PAN in 700 km sun-synchronous orbit by the end of year 2014, which will be followed by a series of optical and SAR satellites in future. Necessary infrastructure for ground control and image reception and processing is also planned to be set up. The satellites are under development process and they are being developed by SUPARCO.
On July 9, 2018, China successfully launched two remote sensing satellites for Pakistan, which were launched to monitor progress as they build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The satellites were named PRSS-1 and PakTES-1A, and were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China using a Long March-2C rocket. The PRSS-1 is China's first optical remote sensing satellite sold to Pakistan. It is the 17th satellite developed by the China Academy of Space Technology for an overseas buyer, while PakTES-1A is an experimental satellite of Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission.

Launch date

In 2012, the first remote sensing satellite project was completed. Suparco set up its own version of Global navigation satellite system and immediately acquired the Beidou navigation system of China for this satellite in September 2012. Currently three Satellites are under Design by SUPARCO in collaboration with different universities throughout the country. According to SUPARCO, first satellite of this program was launched in 2018, and it is visioned to provide help in exploiting the potentials of space technologies for natural resource surveying and environmental purpose.