ISLAMABAD: China on Friday launched Pakistan’s indigenously developed Electro-Optical (EO-1) satellite into space that aims to predict natural disasters and monitor resources, Chinese and Pakistani state media reported.
The EO-1 satellite was launched from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The launch represents the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission’s (SUPARCO) dedication and expertise in advancing Pakistan’s technological capabilities in space science.
The satellite will enhance the country’s ability to monitor and manage natural resources, predict and respond to natural disasters, support food security and drive economic growth through informed decision-making and sustainable development.
“The satellite, named PRSC-EO1, was launched at 12:07 p.m. (Beijing time) by a Long March-2D carrier rocket and entered its planned orbit successfully,” Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
“The rocket also carried two other satellites, namely Tianlu-1 and Lantan-1.”
The launch marked the 556th flight mission involving China’s Long March carrier rocket series, which was launched in 1970.
In urban development, the EO-1 satellite can help track infrastructure growth, manage urban sprawl and aid city and regional planning efforts. It will provide timely updates on floods, landslides, earthquakes, deforestation and land erosion in terms of environmental monitoring and disaster management, according to Pakistani state media.
The satellite will also support extraction and conservation strategies for natural resources, such as the monitoring of minerals, oil and gas fields, glacier recession and water resources.
Pakistan has witnessed erratic, frequent changes in its weather patterns, including floods, droughts, cyclones, torrential rainstorms, heatwaves and the slow-onset threat of glacial melting, in recent years that scientists have blamed on human-driven climate change.
In 2022, unusually heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting economic losses of around $30 billion, and affecting at least 30 million people.
“Designed and developed entirely by Pakistani engineers, EO-1 satellite is expected to provide substantial benefits across various sectors,” the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported on Friday.
Pakistan has taken strides in its space research program in the past few months. In Nov. last year, SUPARCO announced its rover will join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore the moon’s surface in 2028.
In May 2024, Pakistan launched its first lunar satellite aboard China’s Chang’e-6 probe, which was tasked with landing on the far side of the moon that perpetually faces away from the Earth. China was the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.
China launches Pakistani indigenous satellite aimed at predicting natural disasters
https://arab.news/gnmc8
China launches Pakistani indigenous satellite aimed at predicting natural disasters
- The satellite was launched from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 12:07 p.m.
- It can provide timely updates on floods, landslides, earthquakes and glacier recession
Pakistan invites Austrian firms to partner in citrus value-addition, mining, renewable energy
- PM Shehbaz Sharif attends joint business forum in Vienna, invites Austrian companies to the EU-Pakistan business summit in Islamabad in April
- The premier addresses the issue of illegal immigration, saying his government working to offer Europe workers with international certifications
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday invited Austrian companies to partner with Pakistani firms in citrus value-addition, mining and renewable energy sectors, saying their world-class expertise could help accelerate Pakistan’s growth.
Sharif said this while speaking at the Pakistan-Austria Business Forum during his two-day official visit to the European country, the first by any Pakistani premier in more than 30 years, according to the Pakistani foreign office.
The visit is focused on trade, investment and economic cooperation, and would involve productive interactions with the International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, and the UN Industrial Development Organization.
Speaking at the business forum in Vienna, Sharif said Pakistan is an agrarian economy and nearly 60 percent of its population resides in rural areas, with its hardworking farmers adding to the country's huge potential in agriculture.
"Austria can be a great partner providing Pakistan with experience, with modern technology to have value addition in the field of citrus fruit and make marmalade, juices and export them to Austria, to Middle East, other parts of the world," he said.
"Secondly, in mines and minerals, again Austria can become a great partner. Pakistan has vast resources of minerals and of course very rare minerals in the province of KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan and Azad Kashmir."
Sharif's visit comes at a time when Pakistan is treading a long path to economic recovery under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout and seeks to boost trade and foreign investment to consolidate economic gains Islamabad has made in recent years.
Besides agriculture, PM Sharif invited Austrian companies to participate in renewable energy and grid modernization projects in Pakistan.
"Austria with its world-class expertise in engineering, renewable energy, environmental technology, advanced manufacturing [is well positioned] to benefit Pakistan’s growth trajectory," he said.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, SKILLED LABOR
Sharif also addressed the issue of illegal immigration of citizens from Pakistan, among other countries, to Europe and said his government was working end the practice and instead offer trained, skilled human resource to European nations, with international certifications.
Thousands of citizens from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and other countries embark on perilous journeys each year attempting to enter Europe illegally in search of a better life.
In Dec., Pakistan's interior ministry said it had achieved a 47 percent drop in illegal immigration to Europe in 2025, with more than 1,700 human smugglers arrested as part of an expanded nationwide crackdown.
"I am absolutely against illegal immigration and we are working with our European friends, countries like Austria, Germany, France and other countries, to jointly bring this illegal immigration to a grinding halt," Sharif said.
"In return, your demand for trained labor, skilled labor, we are going to fulfill that demand with international certification to your requirement and your satisfaction."
The Pakistan premier said he looked forward to the participation of Austrian companies in the European Union-Pakistan Business Forum at the end of April in Islamabad.
