In the span of a few decades, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has become one of the most prominent space agencies in the world. From carrying rocket cones on bicycles and ferrying satellites on bullock carts to successfully sending an orbiter to Mars in the first attempt, Isro has come a long way. But there was a time when India was behind Pakistan in regard to space exploration.
Pakistan started its space programme back in the 1960s and established the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) in 1961, eight years before Isro even came into existence. After the USSR, Japan, and Israel, Pakistan became the 4th country in Asia to go into space. However, things have changed since then.
While Isro is conducting groundbreaking missions, Pakistan’s presence in the space race is fading away. When Firstpost ’s Salam Series was in the making, questions regarding the current conditions of Suparco were also raised. During a conversation with Pakistani scientist and author Prof.
Pervez Hoodbhoy, we discussed what are the factors that contributed to Suparco’s downfall. As Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day on August 14 and Isro completes 55 years on August 15, 2024, here’s a look at how Isro and Suparco have fared over the years. How the Space race between the US and the USSR helped Suparco Interestingly the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union helped in the rise of Suparco.
On October 4, 1957, the USSR successfully launched.