According to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT) website, China is launching two remote sensing satellites for Pakistan in June this year.
According to reports, the satellites are being launched to monitor the development of the US$50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
It will be the first international commercial launch for a Long March-2C rocket for around 18 years after it carried Motorola’s Iridium satellites into orbit in 1999.
The rocket will also carry the China-France Oceanography Satellite into space in September this year, CALVT said. The satellite will monitor ocean wind and waves. Long March-2C rockets are mainly used to send satellites into low Earth or Sun-synchronous orbits.
China’s state news agency Xinhua reported the rocket will also carry the China-France Oceanography satellite into space in September this year.
Earlier, China had also launched Pakistan’s communication satellite PAKSAT-1R back in 2011.
China and Pakistan had signed an agreement in 2016 for the launch of a special remote sensing satellite this year in 2018.
In April 2016, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and the China Great Wall Industry Cooperation (CGWIC) signed an agreement for the development and launch of the ‘Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS-1) System’. Minister for Planning, Development and Reform, Ahsan Iqbal and CGWIC President, Yin Limping signed the agreement.
