Pakistan all set to launch its first lunar mission today

Pakistan is all set to launch its first lunar mission, iCube-Q, on Friday (today, May 3), the Institute of Space Technology (IST) said.

The student cube satellite will go into lunar orbit aboard China’s Chang’E-6 Mission from Wenchang space launch site, Hainan in China at 12:50pm (PST).

The satellite was designed and developed by IST in collaboration with China’s Shanghai University SJTU and Pakistan’s national space agency Suparco.

According to IST, the iCube-Q orbiter carries two optical cameras to take pictures and videos of the lunar surface.

iCube-Q was integrated with the Chang’e 6, which is the sixth in a series of China’s lunar exploration missions.

The launching ceremony will be broadcast live on the IST website and social media platforms.

"The mission will make a landing on the moon’s far side to collect samples from the surface and return to Earth for research," the state agency said.

However, it would be Pakistan's first-ever mission to touch down on the moon's surface.