Pakistan has launched its first mission to the Moon, joining the international space exploration race.

The mission was launched with Chinese support from China's Hainan Space Launch Site. The satellite, weighing around 7 kg, was developed by the electrical engineering department of the Institute of Space Technology (IST), Islamabad. It was developed over two years.

The launch of the iCube Qamar satellite was broadcast live from the website and social networks. The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) launched the first satellite into lunar orbit. iCube Qamar will reach lunar orbit in five days.

With the launch of the mission, Pakistan became the sixth country in the world to go to the Moon. ICube Q was associated with the Chinese Chang'e-6 mission. As iCube Qamar went on his mission, the national anthem was played.

The iCube Q, developed in collaboration with Suparco and China's Shanghai University, will orbit the Moon and be equipped with two optical cameras to capture images for research purposes. Part of China's sixth lunar exploration mission, Chang'e 6, the iCube Q's primary objective coincides with its Chinese counterpart's mission to collect dust and rock samples from the Moon's South Pole .

The iCube Qamar comes with payloads from France, Italy and Sweden.

Teachers in the department were delighted with this significant success and described the progress made as a source of pride.

Dr. Rahman Mehmood, Director of Small Satellite Technology Project, said that our neighboring countries and many other countries are moving very far in space, so we also thought of working on technology development.

iCube Q was developed over two years and successfully tested for eight months. This mission will remain in lunar orbit for six months.

The students involved in the project are also very happy with this success.

Rabab Sarah, a student who participated in the project, said that we should celebrate this big change in the space industry and also be very proud of this great achievement.

Another student, Abdul Muiz Khan, said it was a great moment for all of us and we should all be proud of Sparco, Pakistan's space industry.

Twenty-six years ago, in May, Pakistan became the first nuclear power in the Islamic world. By sending its first mission to the Moon today, May 3, it is taking a major step forward in the race for space exploration. The iCube Qamar mission will reach lunar orbit in five days. Due to this proud success of the country, the experts and students associated with the project are delighted with this immense achievement.

Dr Khurram Khurshid, senior member of the Space Technology Project, said the satellite is expected to orbit the Moon and send back images. Other sensors will also be able to observe the magnetic field, which will further facilitate the mission in the future.

Pakistan, the first nuclear power in the Islamic world to send a mission to the Moon, is proof that it has also made significant progress on the space front.