Pakistan’s historic lunar mission, known as ICUBE-Q, was launched on Friday (today) on board China’s Chang’e 6 lunar probe from Hainan, China.

The broadcast of the launch was live telecast on the IST website and IST social media platforms.

Chang’e-6 aims to collect around two kilograms of lunar samples from the far side of the Moon and bring them back to Earth for analysis. Chinese state news agency Xinhua hailed it as “the first endeavour of its kind in the history of human lunar exploration”.

“Chang’e-6 will collect samples from the far side of the Moon for the first time,” Ge Ping, vice director of China’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, told journalists.

The satellite ICUBE-Q was made by the Institute of Space Technology (IST). On Chang’e-6, China also carried payloads from France, Italy, and Sweden, while Chang’e-7 will bear payloads from Russia, Switzerland and Thailand.

The organization partnered with China’s Shanghai University SJTU and Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.

Pakistan’s ICUBE-Q orbiter is poised to capture stunning images of the lunar surface and is equipped with two advanced optical cameras.

ICUBE-Q has successfully integrated with China’s Chang’E6 mission after successful testing, making it the sixth chapter in China’s ongoing lunar exploration program.

The mission will gather samples regarding soil and rocks that as more preserved materials from the early formation of the moon since it lacks volcanic activity to research on it.

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Chang’e-6 plans to land on the northeastern side of the South Pole-Aitken Basin, the oldest known impact crater in the solar system.

This mission could provide valuable insights into the moon’s evolution and the inner solar system.

It will carry the iCube-Q CubeSat which are small, standardized, cubic-shaped satellites that weigh only a few kilograms and it serves as platforms for testing new technologies, promoting collaboration within the space community, and enabling access to space for a broader range of users.