HS-1 is Pakistan's first hyper-spectral satellite which is equipped with advanced hyperspectral imaging sensors capable of capturing data across hundreds of narrow spectral bands. The satellite lifted off from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on a Kinetica-1 rocket. It is expected to boost Pakistan's national capacities in areas such as precision agriculture, environmental monitoring, urban planning, and disaster management. Its high-resolution data will support improved resource management and strengthen Pakistan’s resilience to climate-related challenges.
Though the HS-1 satellite is primarily aimed at civilian applications, it will also have significant intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability for military applications. It is much more advanced than Pakistan's PRSS-1 satellite launched in 2018 which senses objects on earth in the optical RGB (Red-Green-Blue) range. The HS-1's high-resolution data will support improved resource management and assist the Pakistani military's efforts to monitor events on the ground.
In addition to the HS-1 satellite, Pakistan has signed a $406 million deal with China’s PIESAT for a constellation of over 20 imaging and communication satellites, a move that signals a profound shift in its strategic posture, according to defense site Quwa. The deal includes a full transfer-of-technology (ToT) for in-country satellite manufacturing. It is poised to provide the Pakistani military with a sovereign, persistent imaging intelligence (IMINT) capability. Here's an excerpt from the Quwa website:
"While PIESAT’s official data states a resolution of 0.5 meters, Chinese media reports indicate a larger 54-satellite version of the constellation could achieve a global revisit rate of just 60 minutes. For Pakistan, its initial 20-satellite acquisition implies a clear intent to establish a persistent regional surveillance net with revisit rates well under one day, fundamentally changing its ability to monitor adversary movements".
Space science is a lot more than rocket science. It goes well beyond building booster rockets for satellite launches. It includes various fields like physics, astronomy, biology, chemistry, and engineering to study phenomena in space and collect and analyze data about activities on earth. Pakistan-China space cooperation is yet another confirmation of the close and growing scientific ties between the two countries. Tens of thousands of Pakistani students are currently attending Chinese universities which are among the best in the world. Thousands of Pakistani engineers and scientists are closely working with their Chinese counterparts on multiple projects. It is a great opportunity for Pakistanis to learn from astounding scientific and technological achievements of their Chinese counterparts.
Chinese researchers dominate global AI research, according to Marco Polo which tracks global AI talent. China dominates the top 10 science institutions, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and Tsinghua University taking the top three spots, according to the Science Journal Nature. Only two non-Chinese institutions broke into the top 10 – the Max Planck Society in Germany at No 4 and the French National Center for Scientific Research at No 10. The top three US institutions – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and Stanford University – were ranked at 13th, 16th and 20th, respectively.
Analysts believe that China's real focus is on industrial applications for Artificial Intelligence (AI) rather than chatbots like ChatGPT or DeepSeek. Chinese are working to use the underlying technology to develop affordable, commercially viable business solutions, according to Jacob Dreyer who recently wrote an article for science journal Nature. "Its applications can then be exported, especially to lower-income countries. In other words, China’s target is not necessarily ‘frontier AI’, but ‘mass-market AI’. Its emerging AI playbook mirrors its approach to other technologies, such as electric vehicles and clean energy: not the first to innovate, but the first to make them affordable for widespread use".
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Pakistani Military Launches Defense AI Program
Pakistani Students Enrollment in US Colleges and Universities Soaring
Digital Pakistan 2022: Broadband Penetration Soars to 90% of 15+ Population
STEM Enrollment in Pakistan Exceeds One Million
Digital Public Infrastructure in Pakistan
Pakistanis Mini Invasion of China
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Riaz Haq's Youtube Channel
China launches new set of Yaogan-40 satellites into polar orbit
ReplyDeletehttps://spacenews.com/china-launches-new-set-of-yaogan-40-satellites-into-polar-orbit/
Yaogan (“remote sensing”) satellites are thought to be for users including military customers, with uses thought to include optical imaging, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellites.
Few details, if any, are available about the satellites. They are typically described as being for purposes including land survey, crop yield estimation, environmental management, meteorological warning and forecasting, and disaster prevention and reduction or “electromagnetic environment detection and related tests.”
The Saturday mission was China’s 52nd orbital launch of the year, keeping it on course to surpass a national record of 68 launches in a calendar year, set in 2024. This number includes one failure, suffered by commercial launch service provider Landspace in August.
Congratulations to all Pakistanis. Considering the SUPARCO has been around since early 60s this should have happened a long time ago and we should have been far ahead at this point. So what happened?
ReplyDeleteA while back I was having a discussion with an Ex-SUPARCO employee and I posted the same question. His answer was that Pakistan made a mistake by putting SUPARCO under defense department, so when sanctions were put on Pakistan it effected SUPRCO too.
Btw, don't you think US$406 million could be better used to develop our own space program?
Zamir
Sir this is exactly what I have been saying since last several years or months.
DeleteThe downfall of SUPARCO( Space Agency of Pakistan) actually started as soon as the President of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto changed the priority of Pakistan from space progress, development and advancement to the development of nuclear program to strengthen the Defence of the country in 1970s or in 1980s.
Actually when in 1974 or some where in 1970s India conducted its nuclear bomb test. Soon after this government of Pakistan felt inferiority complex and realized that being a smaller country than India, Pakistani government and military both felt threat from India, so the President Bhutto decided to switch the priority of the country from space programs and it's advancement or development to strengthening of Defence sector.
Upon the orders of the President, many scientists who were working in SUPARCO( Space Agency of Pakistan) actually were shifted to Atomic Commission of Pakistan where they had to study about the development of nuclear bombs and I think they even studied nuclear physics.
So after this to fill the gap, military took over SUPARCO and started running it.
Pls note that in 1960s SUPARCO was under the administration of Scientists and this is why it was making great progress at that time.
In order to make sure that SUPARCO again gets back on the track of progress and advancement, it's imperative that it should be placed under a scientist who has very good knowledge and exposure of astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology.
Thanks
Zamir: “don't you think US$406 million could be better used to develop our own space program?”
ReplyDeleteThe PIESAT deal is part of Pakistan’s efforts to build its domestic space program. Please read below:
PIESAT Pakistan refers to the large-scale agreement between China's PIESAT Information Technology and Pakistan for developing an integrated satellite system, which includes a $406.4 million deal for a constellation of over 20 satellites, a manufacturing facility in Pakistan, and a technology transfer. The partnership aims to enhance Pakistan's capabilities in real-time communication, remote sensing, and disaster management, with the first phase focusing on launching and operating 20 satellites and building the necessary infrastructure.
This video explains the significance of China launching Pakistan's advanced satellite:
https://youtu.be/s4-h9yGXwVM?si=V508V9hJceHHzKmO
China Launches Pakistan’s First Hyperspectral Satellite — What It Means for Defence and Intelligence
ReplyDeletehttps://quwa.org/pakistan-defence-news/china-launches-pakistans-first-hyperspectral-satellite-what-it-means-for-defence-and-intelligence/
On 19 October 2025, China’s Jiaquan Satellite Launch Station sent into orbit Pakistan’s first hyperspectral imaging satellite, HS-1.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) framed the launch of the HS-1, to be managed by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), as a significant step in Pakistan-China space cooperation. According to MOFA, the HS-1’s imaging data will be used to support “precision agriculture, environmental monitoring, urban planning, and disaster management.”
HS-1 now joins Pakistan’s growing constellation of Earth-observation satellites, which also includes the recently launched PRSC-EO1 and PRSC-S1, which provide electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) coverages, respectively, providing a multi-modal imaging capability.
Together, this imaging triad will enable Pakistan to flag potential activity at day and night, under all weather conditions via PRSC-S1; the HS-1 would help with determining what potential objects of interest could be (e.g., false positives or actuals); and PRSC-EO1 would provide precise context and reporting of that area.
Overall, the new imaging constellation will contribute to the cadence, reliability, and sovereign control of Pakistan’s space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
Good job.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the most amazing reaction to this came from our eastern neighbors on the social media.
Never understand their mindset, such losers.
G. Ali
ReplyDeleteDear Sir and entire team of this blog.
Congratulations to all Pakistanis whether living in Pakistan or abroad for this great scientific achievement.
Masha Allah very good news, not only this space program of SUPARCO can benefit the agricultural sectors and environment of Pakistan but it can also play an important role in defence and security of the country.
1 important point, Pakistan can also use this satelite based on advance technology of hyperspectral to provide services to other neigbhouring countries. Like Sri Lanka and Nepal pe agar India attack karta hai yah Sri Lanka aur Nepal ko koe security threat feel ho, toh Pakistan kee government aur SUPARCO mil kar Nepal aur Sri Lanka kee governments ke sath collaborate karey aur in countries kee land aur airspace ko apni satelite based defence aur security ke umbrella ke under lee aee. Aur per year yah per month jo security related services jo yah satelite Nepal aur Sri Lanka ko provide karey ous kee fees yah charges Pakistan kee government leti rahey from the government of these countries.
Also Pakistani government along with SUPARCO can have an agreement with Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka and provide them important information about weather and temperature to the agricultural sectors of these countries and earn money from them.
Dear Sir
ReplyDeleteI was reading about hyper spectral technology and their are total 10 countries in the world including America, China, Brazil and even India which has this technology.
Sir in 2008 ISRO( Indian Space and Research Organization) launched its 1st hyper spectral satellite in space.
Sir I am sorry to say but don't you think that Pakistan is too late in trying to catch up or keep pace with India in this race of satellite advancement and launching?
Thanks
Ahmad: “Sir in 2008 ISRO( Indian Space and Research Organization) launched its 1st hyper spectral satellite in space”
ReplyDeleteIndia’s first hyperspectral satellite HySIS 1 was launched in 2018, not 2008. No further HS launches have been done by ISRO since then.
In January 2025, India's Google-backed space tech startup Pixxel launched three of its six hyperspectral imaging satellites aboard a (Elon Musk-owned) SpaceX rocket from California.