HS-1 Satellite: Pakistan's Eye in the Sky
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".
Related Links:
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Comments
https://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.
A 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?
The 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
https://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.
New partnership links space and telecom networks to expand secure, nationwide communication and digital services under “Satellite-Powered Digital Pakistan” vision
https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2025/11/25/suparco-ntc-join-forces-to-boost-satellite-backed-digital-connectivity-across-pakistan/
Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) have formalised a strategic partnership to enhance the country’s satellite-based communication and IT infrastructure through a Memorandum of Understanding signed on Tuesday.
The agreement, concluded at NTC Headquarters in Islamabad, was witnessed by Chairman SUPARCO Mohammad Yousuf Khan and NTC Managing Director Major General Ali Farhan, along with senior officials and technical teams from both organisations.
Under the MoU, NTC will gain access to Geo Communication Satellites to strengthen its nationwide connectivity network, while SUPARCO will leverage NTC’s terrestrial infrastructure to deliver satellite services more efficiently. These include satellite communications, satellite imagery, geospatial solutions, cloud services, and secure digital platforms.
The collaboration is designed to support Pakistan’s broader national objective of advancing a “Satellite-Powered Digital Pakistan” by integrating the technical strengths of both institutions to expand high-quality digital and satellite-enabled services, particularly in remote and underserved regions.
Officials said the partnership will improve mission-critical communication, digital security, and data accessibility, marking an important step toward building domestic capacity in space and telecommunication technologies and making advanced digital services more reliable and widely available across the country.