The Chronology of Pakistan's rocket tests entails the series of sounding rocket launches conducted by the Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) aimed at advancing Pakistan's space program. These launches were instrumental in developing high-altitude rockets, fostering scientific exploration, and providing invaluable data for research in physics and atmospheric sciences.
Commencing in 1962 and continuing until its partial termination in 1972, SUPARCO successfully launched over 200 sounding rockets. These missions were pivotal in studying the upper atmosphere, including investigations into temperature gradients, wind velocities, and atmospheric density. [1]
An important milestone in Pakistan's space exploration history was the successful launch of Rehbar-I, signifying the nation's pioneering role among developing countries, the Islamic world, and South Asia. Ranking third in Asia, this achievement underscored Pakistan's growing prominence in the field of space exploration.
Originally conceived as a SUPARCO initiative, the space mission program remains active to this day. Over time, various aerospace authorities and institutions, both domestically and through international collaborations, have assumed roles in advancing Pakistan's space capabilities. Since the late 1980s, the focus has shifted towards research and development, with an emphasis on ballistic missile testing alongside continued scientific exploration. [2]
Rocket launch | Launch Date | Mission | Institutional authority | Launch Site | Outcomes | Derivatives | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rehbar-I | June 7, 1962; 14:45 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Nike-Cajun | [3] |
Rehbar-II | June 11, 1962; 14:50 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Nike-Cajun | |
Rehbar-3 | March 18, 1964; 14:50 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehbar-4 | January 12, 1966; 12:30 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehbar-5 | January 26, 1966; 12:18 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehbar-6 | February 16, 1966; 04:30 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehbar-7 | January 26, 1966; 12:18 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehbar-15 | May 3, 1967; 14:29 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Centaure | |
Shahpar-1 | May 5, 1967; 14:29 GMT | Test Mission | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Dragon | |
Rehbar-16 | May 7, 1967; 14:30 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Centaure | |
Rehbar-17 | March 23, 1968; 19:04 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Centaure | |
Shahpar-2 | March 29, 1968; 19:20 GMT | Test Mission | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Dragon | |
Rehbar-18 | April 3, 1968; 05:38 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Centaure | |
Rehbar-19 | February 9, 1969; 13:46 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Failure | Centaure | |
Rehbar-20 | February 13, 1969; 13:48 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Failure | Centaure | |
Rehnuma-1 | March 31, 1969; 14:18 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Partial Success | Centaure | |
Rehnuma-2 | June 16, 1969; 14:34 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehnuma-3 | July 20, 1969; 14:30 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehnuma-4 | July 30, 1969; 14:45 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehnuma-5 | August 15, 1969; 14:30 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehnuma-6 | September 10, 1969; 14:30 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehnuma-7 | October 22, 1969; 13:50 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehnuma-8 | November 19, 1969; 13:10 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehnuma-9 | November 20, 1969; 13:50 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehnuma-10 | December 17, 1969; 13:10 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehnuma-11 | December 31, 1969; 13:50 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Judi-Dart 1 | January 14, 1970; 13:00 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Judi-Dart 1 | January 14, 1970; 15:15 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Judi-Dart 1 | January 14, 1970; 14:00 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Judi-Dart 1 | February 11, 1970; 13:30 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Judi-Dart 2 | March 11, 1970; 14:30 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Judi-Dart 2 | March 11, 1970; 14:30 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Rehbar 21 | March 27, 1970; 00:00 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Nike-Cajun | |
Rehbar 22 | March 28, 1970; 15:45 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Nike-Cajun | |
Judi-Dart 2 | March 28, 1970; 00:00 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi-Dart | |
Judi-Dart 1 | April 15, 1970; 14:45 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi Dart | |
Judi-Dart 1 | April 15, 1970; 13:45 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi Dart | |
Judi-Dart 1 | June 17, 1970; 14:50 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi Dart | |
Judi-Dart 1 | July 15, 1970; 15:05 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi Dart | |
Judi-Dart 1 | October 21, 1970; 15:45 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi Dart | |
Judi-Dart 1 | November 25, 1970; 13:14 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 2; Success | Judi Dart | |
Judi-Dart 1 | December 30, 1970; 14:50 GMT | Aeronomy | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Judi Dart | |
Rehbar-23 | April 7, 1972; 14:20 GMT | Ionosphere Mission | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Centaure | |
Rehbar-24 | April 8, 1972; 14:18 GMT | Ionosphere Mission | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Centaure | |
Shahpar-3 | April 28, 1972; 00:18 GMT | Test Mission | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Level 1; Success | Centaure | |
Hatf-I | October 20, 1989; 00:00 GMT | Test Mission | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Success | [4] | |
Abdali-I | March 3, 2007 | Test mission | SUPARCO | Flight Test Range | Success | [5] |
A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a suborbital rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The rockets are used to launch instruments from 48 to 145 km above the surface of the Earth, the altitude generally between weather balloons and satellites; the maximum altitude for balloons is about 40 km and the minimum for satellites is approximately 121 km. Certain sounding rockets have an apogee between 1,000 and 1,500 km, such as the Black Brant X and XII, which is the maximum apogee of their class. Sounding rockets often use military surplus rocket motors. NASA routinely flies the Terrier Mk 70 boosted Improved Orion, lifting 270–450-kg (600–1,000-pound) payloads into the exoatmospheric region between 97 and 201 km.
Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) is a rocket launch site on Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, United States, just east of the Delmarva Peninsula and approximately 100 miles (160 km) north-northeast of Norfolk. The facility is operated by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and primarily serves to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other federal agencies. WFF includes an extensively instrumented range to support launches of more than a dozen types of sounding rockets; small expendable suborbital and orbital rockets; high-altitude balloon flights carrying scientific instruments for atmospheric and astronomical research; and, using its Research Airport, flight tests of aeronautical research aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Flight Test Range (FTR) at Sonmiani Beach is a rocket launch site in Balochistan, approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
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