China launched a Pakistani Earth-observation satellite from its Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi late Saturday, state media reported. The satellite, PRSC-EO3, lifted off at 8:15 pm Beijing time on a Long March-6 carrier rocket and successfully reached its planned orbit, Xinhua said.
The mission marks the fourth Pakistani satellite China has placed into orbit since last year, following three launches in the previous year, and highlights expanding space cooperation between the two countries within their long-standing partnership.
Separately, the China Manned Space Agency said two Pakistanis arrived in Beijing on April 24 to begin astronaut training at the Astronaut Centre of China. After completing the required training and passing assessments, one of the two trainees is expected to fly as a payload specialist and would become the first foreign astronaut to visit China’s Tiangong space station.
