Badr-B satellite to be launched in April

[Faisal_Aslam]

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I AM HAPPY ...........


KARACHI, Feb 28: Pakistan's second satellite, the indigenously built Badr B, would be launched into orbit with the help of a Russian launch vehicle sometime in April, said Dr Abdul Majeed, the chairman of the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), on Wednesday.

Dr Majeed also said the SUPARCO had started work on building its own Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV). "Once we have our own SLV we won't need the help of other countries in launching our satellites," he said.

The SUPARCO's chairman said this at a well-attended press briefing. He said the launch of Badr B had been delayed for about two years due to several reasons. "Badr B is to be launched by a Russian SLV from Baikonour in a piggyback fashion.

"This satellite has been ready for the past two years. In fact it was sent to Russia more than a year and a half ago. But the Russian SLV which was supposed to lift the satellite in orbit developed some faults. There were other problems too. These have now been finally removed."

It could be said with a fair degree of confidence that Badr B would be launched in late March or early April, said Dr Majeed.

In response to a question, he said Badr B was a 70kg satellite which was to be launched in a Sun-synchronous orbit of 1050km and orbital period of 106 minutes. The satellite would be carrying a camera.

"The main objective of the project is the indigenous development of low-cost satellites and creation of necessary infrastructure for future development in this field."

To a question, the SUPARCO's chief said his organization was trying to build a four-stage Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV). "The government hasn't given us any special grants for the development of an SLV. But we thought that we should use our existing resources and expertise to try and develop our own SLV so that in future we don't have to depend on other countries for launching our satellites."

Dr Majeed said within the next two to three months SUPARCO would be in a position to subject two integrated parts of the SLV to a hot-test - a kind of live test in which the vehicle doesn't take off.

"Two parts of the four-stage vehicle have already been separately subjected to hot and cold tests. The next stage is testing after integrating the parts."

The SUPARCO's chief told newsmen that his organization had made special arrangements for tracking the descent of the Russian Space Station Mir, the first module of which had been launched in February of 1986.

"I remember that when in the 1970s a station by the name of Skylab was descending, or splashing down, there was a lot of panic in Pakistan. That's why we have decided to set up a cell to keep the people informed about the dying moments of Mir."

The facility would be manned round the clock and the public would be able to talk to the people there by dialling 8144923 or 8144967. The SUPARCO's e-mail address is suparco@digicom.net.pk.

Earlier, the SUPARCO's member space research, Abdul Ghafoor, gave a presentation on Mir's last journey. He told the reporters that the 140-ton Mir would be reduced to 40tons by the time it reaches its final resting place in the Pacific Ocean between Chile and New Zealand.

Mr Ghafoor said the Mir was initially expected to be splashed down between March 13 and 18. "But the latest is that it will fall into the ocean by March 29."

Meanwhile, Dr Majeed also talked in some detail about the other space programmes. He also described some academic programmes of his organization.