Badr-1
The display of Badr-I, prior to its launch.
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| Mission type | Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | SUPARCO |
| COSPAR ID | 1990-059A |
| SATCAT no. | 20685 |
| Website | suparco |
| Mission duration | 35 days achieved |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer |
Instrumentation Laboratories Amateur Radio Society Telecommunications Ministry Ministry of Science |
| Launch mass | 52 kilograms (115 lb) |
| Power | 12.5 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 16 July 1990, 00:40 UTC |
| Rocket | Chang Zheng 2E |
| Launch site | Xichang LC-2 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 20 August 1990 |
| Decay date | 8 December 1990 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.056125 |
| Perigee | 201.0 kilometres (124.9 mi) |
| Apogee | 984.0 kilometres (611.4 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.4 degrees |
| Period | 96.3 minutes |
Badr-1 (Urdu: بدر-۱, meaning Full Moon-1) was the first artificial and the first digital communication satellite launched by Pakistan's supreme national space authority – the SUPARCO – in 1990. The Badr-I was Pakistan's first indigenously developed and manufactured digital communications and an experimental artificial satellite which was launched into low Earth orbit by Pakistan on 16 July 1990, through a Chinese rocket carrier. The launch ushered new military, technological, and scientific developments in Pakistan and also provided data on radio-signal distribution in the ionosphere. Originally planned to be launched from the United States in 1986, the Challenger disaster furthered delayed the launch of the satellite which changed the plan. After the People's Republic of China offered Pakistan to use its facility, the Badr-I was finally launched from XLSC in 1990 on Long March 2E (LM2E). Badr-I travelled at 61,500 miles per hour, taking 96.3 minutes to complete an orbit, and emitted radio signals at the 145 to 435 MHz bands which were operated by Pakistan Amateur Radio Society (PARS). The Badr-I successfully completed its designed life, and a new satellite was proposed to be developed.
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