Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission announced on Wednesday the launch of the country’s first HS-1 hyperspectral satellite from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on October 19. Officials described it as a significant step in enhancing the country’s space and climate monitoring capability.
The HS-1 mission will capture hundreds of spectral bands across visible and infrared wavelengths, enabling the detection of changes in soil, vegetation, water bodies, and man-made structures with far greater precision than conventional imaging satellites.
Officials say the technology will be applied to improve agricultural productivity, monitor environmental degradation, and strengthen early warning systems for floods and landslides.
SUPARCO said the HS-1 hyperspectral satellite will provide “detailed insights into crop health, soil moisture and irrigation patterns— enhancing yield estimation by 15–20 percent and contributing significantly to food security.”
The agency added that the HS1 sensors would also allow mapping of infrastructure and tracking of urban expansion to support sustainable city planning and the effective use of land.
“By capturing unique spectral signatures of man-made structures, HS-1 will support sustainable city planning, land-use assessment, and efficient resource management,” said Suparco.
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“The HS-1 launch represents a transformative milestone in Pakistan’s national space program,” SUPARCO said in its statement. “The mission aligns with the National Space Policy and SUPARCO’s Vision 2047, which aims to position Pakistan at the forefront of space technology and innovation for sustainable national development.”
The HS-1 hyperspectral satellite will join Pakistan’s growing remote sensing fleet, which also includes PRSS-1, launched back in 2018, and two Earth observation satellites, EO-1 and KS-1, placed in orbit earlier this year. The official says that the integration of HS-1 will boost Pakistan’s capacity to effectively monitor disaster assessment, the modeling of water resources, and climate change monitoring, while also deepening collaboration with China in the civilian space sector.
Hyperspectral imaging is a type of advanced camera technology used in satellites to study the Earth in space, according to a study published in the Journal of Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience. While the regular satellite cameras capture only a few colors like red, green, and blue, the specialized hyperspectral cameras can detect hundreds of very narrow color bands, which are otherwise unlikely to be detected. This means that scientists can detect tiny differences in light that the human eye or even normal satellites can’t detect.
Hence, due to these utilities, scientists use these hyperspectral images to identify materials, detect changes in vegetation, find, explore the minerals, monitor pollution, or even study the atmosphere comprehensively.