ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) on Wednesday announced the launch of the country’s first Hyperspectral Satellite (HS-1) from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on October 19, marking what officials described as a major leap in national space and climate-monitoring capability.
The HS-1 mission will capture hundreds of spectral bands across visible and infrared wavelengths to help detect changes in soil, vegetation, water bodies and man-made structures with far greater precision than conventional imaging satellites. Officials say the technology will be applied to improve agricultural productivity, monitor environmental degradation and strengthen early-warning systems for floods and landslides.
SUPARCO said the satellite will provide “detailed insights into crop health, soil moisture and irrigation patterns— enhancing yield estimation by 15–20 percent and contributing significantly to food security.”
The agency added that HS-1’s sensors would also enable mapping of infrastructure and tracking of urban expansion to support sustainable city planning and land-use management.
“The HS-1 launch represents a transformative milestone in Pakistan’s national space program,” SUPARCO said in its statement. “The mission aligns with the National Space Policy and SUPARCO’s Vision 2047, which aim to position Pakistan at the forefront of space technology and innovation for sustainable national development.”
The new satellite will join Pakistan’s growing remote-sensing fleet, which includes PRSS-1 launched in 2018 and two Earth-observation satellites— EO-1 and KS-1— placed in orbit earlier this year.
Officials said integrating HS-1 will expand Pakistan’s capacity for disaster assessment, water-resource modelling and climate-change monitoring, while deepening collaboration with China in the civilian space sector.
