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2 Pakistan satellites launched by China concern India

Several projects will be initiated to develop self-reliance capacity and reduce dependence on foreign satellites, mainly the US and French satellites for civil and military communications, a report had said.

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China on Monday successfully launched two remote sensing satellites for Pakistan. The satellites — PRSS-1 and PakTES-1A — were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 11:56 am, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The PRSS-1 is China's first optical remote sensing satellite sold to Pakistan.

A scientific experiment satellite, PakTES-1A, developed by Pakistan, was sent into orbit via the same rocket. After entering orbit, the PRSS-1 is said to be in good condition with its solar panels unfolded smoothly, according to the CAST.

The launch follows reports in April this year that had said that Pakistan was ready with its own space programme during the next fiscal year with an aim to keep an eye on the Indian side and reduce its dependence on foreign satellites for civil and military purposes.

Several projects will be initiated to develop self-reliance capacity and reduce dependence on foreign satellites, mainly the US and French satellites for civil and military communications, a report had said.

The PRSS-1 will be used for land and resources surveying, monitoring of natural disasters, agriculture research, urban construction and for providing remote sensing information for the Belt and Road region. It is this capability of the satellite and the ostensible task of providing information on Belt and Road Region that has raised eyebrows, since the corridor passes through Pak-occupied Kashmir.

The satellite, which has a designed life of seven years, is equipped with two panchromatic/multispectral cameras, with a resolution up to a meter and a coverage range of 60 km. Designers say the two cameras are among the best exported remote sensing cameras made by China. They can be used to monitor plant diseases and pests, the report said.

Each camera has independent image processing, storage and transmission capability. The design of lossless compression could greatly improve the quality of the images, according to designers. The satellite can turn at wide angles to enable the cameras to cover a wider range. The PRSS-1 has an information security design, and the data can be encrypted.

When the satellite flies over Pakistan, it can send back real-time images, said Zhang Qian, a designer for the data transmission system.

The budget of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Organisation (Suparco) for the upcoming fiscal year 2018-19 is Rs 4.70 billion which includes Rs 2.55 billion for three new projects, Dawn News had then reported.

The funding includes allocation of Rs 1.35 billion for Pakistan Multi-Mission Satellite (PakSat- MM1) and the country is also planning to establish Pakistan Space Centre in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad with the allocation of Rs 1 billion.

"There are two unusual developments in the region effecting the strategic situation first of all Pakistan has to keep an eye on Indian side and previously their programme had limited quality advancements but now the US has active cooperation with the Indian satellite programme," Maria Sultan, a defence analyst said.

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