ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will be launching another remote-sensing satellite from a Chinese launch center next week to monitor resources and boost disaster management efforts, its space research commission SUPARCO announced on Sunday.

The launch of the satellite will mark a major milestone in Pakistan’s space program, significantly enhancing its Earth observation capabilities. It will support a wide range of national applications, including precision agriculture to boost crop yields, monitoring infrastructure growth and urban sprawl, and enabling regional planning, according to SUPARCO.

The satellite will strengthen disaster management efforts by providing timely warnings for floods, landslides, and earthquakes, while tracking glacier recession and deforestation. In addition, it will support national development initiatives by mapping transportation networks and identifying geo-hazard risks.

"The launch of this remote sensing satellite, along with its integration into Pakistan’s existing remote sensing fleet — including PRSS-1 (launched in July 2018) and EO-1 (launched in January 2025) — will further strengthen the country’s space-based infrastructure, aligning with the National Space Policy and SUPARCO’s Vision 2047, aiming to position our nation at the forefront of space technology and innovation," SUPARCO said in a statement.

The satellite, whose data acquisition capabilities under various environmental conditions make it a vital asset for environmental monitoring and resource management, will be launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC), China on July 31.

Pakistan has taken strides in its space research program in recent years months.

In January this year, China launched Pakistan’s indigenously developed Electro-Optical (EO-1) satellite into space from its Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, aiming to predict natural disasters and monitor resources, Chinese and Pakistani state media reported.

In Nov. last year, SUPARCO announced its rover will join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore the moon’s surface in 2028. Prior to that 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.