SUPARCO unveils Pakistan’s first lunar rover ‘Jinnah-1’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has officially unveiled its first lunar rover “Jinnah-1”, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) said on Thursday, describing the name as a tribute to the country’s founder and a symbol of its ambitions in space exploration.

The announcement came after a nationwide competition launched to seek public suggestions for the name of Pakistan’s first lunar rover.

SUPARCO said that it received more than 4,000 proposals from across the country, reflecting what it described as strong public interest in Pakistan’s growing space programme.

“After reviewing the submissions, a jury selected “Jinnah-1” as the official name for the rover, which is named after Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan,” SUPARCO said in a press release.

According to SUPARCO, seven participants had proposed the name “Jinnah-1”.

“As more than one entrant had suggested the winning name, a draw was held during a special ceremony to select the winner. 17-year-old Tayyab Karim from Bahawalnagar was declared the successful winner following the draw,” it said.

Speaking at the ceremony, SUPARCO Chairman Muhammad Yousuf Khan praised citizens for their enthusiastic participation in the naming competition and highlighted the national significance of naming Pakistan’s first lunar rover after the country’s founder.

“Jinnah-1 is not merely a name but a symbol — a symbol of resilience, determination and the pursuit of progress demonstrated by our founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah,” Khan said.

He said that naming the country’s first lunar rover after Jinnah would send a strong message that Pakistan was ready to carry forward its legacy of vision, determination, hard work and leadership as it entered new frontiers, particularly in space exploration.

Pakistan’s first lunar rover

The Jinnah-1 rover is scheduled to travel to the Moon in 2029 as part of China’s “Chang’E-8 mission”, which is planned to explore the Moon’s south polar region.

The mission is expected to form part of broader international efforts to study the lunar south pole, an area of considerable scientific interest because of the potential presence of water ice and its importance for future lunar exploration.

SUPARCO said that Jinnah-1 would be equipped with advanced scientific instruments and would carry out a range of research activities on the lunar surface.

The locally developed rover is expected to study lunar plasma and radiation, map the geographical features of the Moon’s surface and conduct experiments aimed at supporting future lunar research.

“Its scientific work will also contribute to research relevant to the possibility of establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon in the future,” according to SUPARCO.

The mission marks a significant step in Pakistan’s space programme, expanding the country’s participation in lunar exploration beyond satellite-based activities and into surface operations.

Pakistan-China space cooperation

Pakistan’s participation in Chang’E-8 is also expected to further deepen scientific and technological cooperation between Islamabad and Beijing.

China’s Chang’E programme has played a major role in lunar exploration, including successful missions that have returned samples from the Moon and carried out increasingly sophisticated surface operations.

Chang’E-8 is planned as a precursor to China’s broader ambitions for lunar scientific research and the development of technologies needed for future exploration of the Moon.

For Pakistan, the deployment of Jinnah-1 will provide an opportunity for Pakistani scientists and engineers to participate directly in lunar surface research and develop expertise in designing, building and operating planetary exploration systems.

The rover’s locally developed scientific capabilities are also expected to provide Pakistani researchers with access to data from the lunar environment, potentially supporting future research in space science and planetary exploration.

SUPARCO said that the overwhelming response to the naming competition demonstrated that the country’s space ambitions had generated considerable public interest.

With the naming of Jinnah-1, Pakistan is now preparing for a landmark chapter in its space programme — sending a locally developed lunar rover to the Moon and placing Pakistani scientific and engineering capabilities directly on the lunar surface.