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Space cooperation between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) began shortly after both agencies were founded in 1958 and 1961 respectively.[a]

1960s: Sounding rocket experiments[change | change source]

Rehbar rocket tests[change | change source]

A Nike-Cajun rocket similar to the Rehbar-I launched in Sonmiani.

In September 1961, theoretical physicist Abdus Salam became SUPARCO's founding director and traveled to the United States, where he signed a space cooperation agreement with NASA.[2][b] The agreement came at a time when NASA was developing the Apollo program, which aimed to land the first astronauts on the Moon.[2] For this project, NASA needed to map the wind conditions of the Earth's entire upper atmosphere – as its rockets would initially orbit the Earth before being propelled to the Moon.[2] The Indian Ocean region was regarded as a "black hole" of data, due to the lack of scientific information available on its upper atmosphere.[2]

Pakistan took up the offer of setting up a rocket range, and carrying out scientific experiments mapping the atmosphere above the Indian Ocean.[2][3] A meeting was held at the NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., presided by Abdus Salam, project lead Tariq Mustafa,[c] and NASA's director of international programs, Arnold Frutkin.[2] NASA offered to work with Pakistan in developing its sounding rockets, named Rehbar, in addition to procuring the launching equipment. The raw data obtained from these experiments was to be jointly shared between SUPARCO and NASA.[2]

In the weeks that followed, a team of Pakistani scientists was dispatched to undergo training at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and Goddard Space Flight Center.[4][5] In Karachi, designs and layouts were finalised for establishing a space facility at Sonmiani, located 85 km northwest of the city. Construction of the rocket range was undertaken by the Military Engineering Service (MES), after receiving approval from President Ayub Khan.[2] NASA personnel from Wallops traveled to Sonmiani to personally observe the set up of the launch site.[6] The Pakistani rockets were to be propelled using Nike-Cajun launch vehicles, and were based on the Nike Ajax booster system.[4] The rocket components along with the control instrumentation were procured and shipped to Karachi, and were installed, commissioned and tested at the site. The entire project, funded by the government, was completed by SUPARCO scientists within a span of nine months.[2]

A program of continuing cooperation in space research of mutual interest....

—NASA hailing the launch of the Rehbar-I sounding rocket (1962).[7]

On 7 June 1962 (7:53pm PST), Rehbar-I was launched from Sonmiani into outer space at an altitude of 130 km (80 miles).[5] The rocket carried a payload of 80 pounds (36.3 kg) of sodium, releasing a trail of orange vapour visible on the night sky.[8] Ground-based photography of the sodium vapour was used to measure atmospheric winds, as part of the experiment.[9] It was followed by the identical second-stage launch of Rehbar-II on 11 June (approx. 7.50pm PST).[5][10] The successful takeoffs, hailed by NASA,[7] made Pakistan the third country in Asia and the tenth in the world to launch a rocket into space.[1][8] From these tests, scientists were able to collect data on the wind shear, speed, direction, and structure of the Indian Ocean's upper atmosphere, extending beyond the stratosphere at an altitude of 50 to 80 miles (80 to 130 km). The rockets also aided studies on cloud formations, cyclones and meteorological patterns over the Arabian Sea.[1][10]

Ongoing cooperative projects[change | change source]

Over the following years, SUPARCO and NASA continued collaborating on a wide range of rocket-borne experiments studying the upper atmosphere.[2] The types of rockets used included the Nike-Cajun, Nike-Apache and Judi-Dart.[2] The Judi-Dart was notably used from 1964 onward, in meteorological experiments involving a payload of radar-reflective aluminium chaff. The chaff was ejected at an altitude of 65 km, gradually descending and moving with the wind in the stratosphere. It was tracked and recorded by special ground-based radar and computer equipment, and from this plot, the velocity and direction of the upper wind were computed.[11][12] The experiments, supported by NASA, were also a supplementary part of the International Indian Ocean Expedition's research.[11][9] For Pakistan, acquiring the radar-tracking technology was a first.[2]

Likewise, the Nike Cajun and Apache were supplemented with grenade-based payloads in 1965. Under these experiments, grenades were ejected from the rockets at a predetermined time and altitude. Their burst generated sound waves and flash, which were recorded by low-frequency response microphones and photomultiplier detectors stationed on the ground. Based on the time taken by a sound wave to travel to a microphone, the atmospheric temperature, pressure, density, wind speed and direction were measured.[12][9] The table below provides a chronology of the joint sounding rocket projects between SUPARCO and NASA. The experiments, which lasted until December 1967, were all conducted from Sonmiani.[13][14]

Date and time Rocket Mission Country1 Agency Launch vehicle Altitude
7 June 1962 (14:53 GMT) Rehbar-1 Aeronomy (sodium release) Pakistan SUPARCO Nike-Cajun 130 kilometres (81 mi)
11 June 1962 (14:50 GMT) Rehbar-2 Aeronomy (sodium release) Pakistan SUPARCO Nike-Cajun 116 kilometres (72 mi)
16 May 1963 (14:38 GMT) Rehbar-3 Aeronomy United States NASA Nike-Cajun 146 kilometres (91 mi)
9 April 1964 (14:22 GMT) Rehbar-4 Aeronomy United States NASA Nike-Apache 160 kilometres (99 mi)
21 October 1964 (13:58 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 65 kilometres (40 mi)
30 November 1964 (13:11 GMT) Rehbar-5 Aeronomy United States NASA Nike-Apache 207 kilometres (129 mi)
1 December 1964 (1:20 GMT) Rehbar-6 Aeronomy United States NASA Nike-Apache 200 kilometres (124 mi)
16 December 1964 (13:03 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 65 kilometres (40 mi)
13 January 1965 (14:10 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 65 kilometres (40 mi)
17 February 1965 (13:25 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 65 kilometres (40 mi)
17 March 1965 (17:32 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 65 kilometres (40 mi)
29 April 1965 (17:32 GMT) Rehbar-7 Aeronomy (grenades) United States NASA Nike-Cajun 100 kilometres (62 mi)
30 April 1965 (18:37 GMT) Rehbar-8 Aeronomy (grenades) United States NASA Nike-Cajun 40 kilometres (25 mi)
20 October 1965 (12:58 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 65 kilometres (40 mi)
17 November 1965 (12:10 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 65 kilometres (40 mi)
25 February 1966 (13:59 GMT) Rehbar-9 Aeronomy United States NASA Nike-Apache 200 kilometres (124 mi)
26 February 1966 (13:59 GMT) Rehbar-10 Aeronomy United States NASA Nike-Apache 200 kilometres (124 mi)
16 March 1966 (15:10 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 62 kilometres (39 mi)
24 March 1966 (15:31 GMT) Rehbar-11 Aeronomy (grenades) United States NASA Nike-Cajun 135 kilometres (84 mi)
25 March 1966 (5:39 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 66 kilometres (41 mi)
27 March 1966 (17:12 GMT) Rehbar-12 Aeronomy (grenades) United States NASA Nike-Apache 190 kilometres (118 mi)
13 April 1966 (12:57 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 62 kilometres (39 mi)
26 April 1966 (00:12 GMT) Rehbar-13 Aeronomy (grenades) United States NASA Nike-Apache 190 kilometres (118 mi)
18 May 1966 (14:15 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 62 kilometres (39 mi)
15 June 1966 (14:05 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 64 kilometres (40 mi)
13 July 1966 (7:30 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 60 kilometres (37 mi)
17 August 1966 (14:30 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 62 kilometres (39 mi)
12 October 1966 (14:20 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 69 kilometres (43 mi)
16 November 1966 (14:01 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 64 kilometres (40 mi)
29 November 1967 (1:06 GMT) Rehbar-14 Aeronomy (grenades) United States NASA Nike-Apache 175 kilometres (109 mi)
29 November 1967 (2:10 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 60 kilometres (37 mi)
12 December 1967 (9:13 GMT) Aeronomy United States SUPARCO Judi-Dart 63 kilometres (39 mi)

Notes:
1 The list excludes rocket launches executed by Pakistan alone. For a full list, see Chronology of Pakistan's rocket tests.

By 1967, Pakistan was interested in localising the manufacturing of its rockets and rocket propellants. However, the feasibility of this was questioned by NASA, given it had been supplying rocket equipment to Pakistan free of cost under the existing partnership. A rocket production plant was eventually established in Maripur, Karachi, that same year with French cooperation.[2] With this, Pakistan indigenised its rocketry program.[2] According to the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, much of Pakistan's conventional missile research and development program was derived from the expertise its scientists gained from the sounding rocket experiments.[7][4]

1970s[change | change source]

During 1976–77, NASA and SUPARCO jointly operated a transportable ground station in Islamabad. For a full year, the program yielded data pertaining to studies of Pakistan's agricultural, hydrological, geological and mineral resources, as well as desertification and environmental effects.[15]

1980s: Challenger disaster [1] 2010s: [2] [3], Pakistan participates in SERVIR Himalayas [4] (mentioned in former NASA administrator Charles Bolden's interview to USAID Pakistan)

Pakistani personnel at NASA[change | change source]

Pakistani involvement at NASA began with the Rehbar mission in 1961, when SUPARCO personnel received training in rocketry at NASA facilities – Wallops and Goddard. Amongst them were Tariq Mustafa, Salim Mehmud, Sikandar Zaman, A.Z. Farooqi, and M. Rehmatullah.[1][2] NASA also funded research associate programs and fellowships at American universities for Pakistani space scientists and technicians, providing them "advanced training and experience."[7]

Abdul Majid [5] [6]

Bashir Syed [7] Sajjad Durrani

[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

See also[change | change source]

Notes[change | change source]

  1. From 1961 to 1964, SUPARCO was under the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) as the Space Sciences Research Wing.[1]
  2. Abdus Salam accompanied President Ayub Khan and his delegation, who were on a state visit to the United States.[2]
  3. Mustafa was a mechanical engineer at PAEC who at the time was stationed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a United States Atomic Energy Commission fellow. He was selected by Salam to lead the Rehbar project team.[2]

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "History". Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 Mustafa, Tariq (30 March 2012). "SUPARCO – The formative years (1961–1967)". The Friday Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  3. Mughal, Bilal Karim (20 February 2017). "Metro Bus or Mars: The problem with our priorities". Dawn. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Khan, Feroz (2012). Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistani Bomb. Stanford University Press. p. 236. ISBN 9780804784801.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Moltz, James (2012). Asia's Space Race: National Motivations, Regional Rivalries, and International Risks. Columbia University Press. p. 174. ISBN 9780231527576.
  6. "Chapter 4: Space Science Research". NASA History. 1997. Retrieved 16 March 2017. Not only did foreign researchers come to Wallops, but Station personnel traveled abroad to assist in establishing ranges, and launching rockets... Wallops people travelled to Sonmiani Beach, Pakistan, to help set up that launch site.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Pakistan Derives its First "Hatf" Missiles from Foreign Space Rockets". The Risk Report, Volume 1 Number 8. Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control. October 1995. p. 4. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Pakistan's first rocket soars 80 miles high". Dawn. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 National Research Council; Space Science Board (Committee on Space Research) (1966). United States Space Science Program: Report to COSPAR. National Academies. p. 292.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Burleson, Daphne (2005). Space Programs Outside the United States: All Exploration and Research Efforts, Country by Country. McFarland. p. 212. ISBN 9780786418527.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Economic Affairs Division (Pakistan); United States Agency for International Development (1969). Action, Volume 7. p. 41. In the Judi-dart system, chaff is ejected at an altitude of about 65 km. It gradually descends, moving with the wind in the stratosphere. It is tracked by radar, and from the radar plot the direction and velocity of the upper wind are computed.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Islamic Institute of Defence Technology (1979). Proceedings of International Conference on Defence and the Muslim World, 8-12 Rabi-al-Awwal, 1399 (5-9 February, 1979). p. 104.
  13. Wade, Mark (2016). "Sonmiani". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  14. "Sonmiani Flight Test Range". Nuclear Threat Initiative. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2017. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and SUPARCO collaboratively use the FTR as the launch site for sounding rockets.
  15. Ali, S. Akhtar (1985). Pakistan & Gulf Economist, Volume 4, Part 2. p. 35.


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