Badr-B

The Badr-B project was launched by SUPARCO in 1992, following the success of the Badr-I in 1990. The programme was funded by Science Ministry and the construction of the programme was completed in Instrumentation Laboratories in Karachi. The United Kingdom's Space Innovations Limited, plc (SIL) also joined this programme in 1993 as it had constructed the instrumentation of this satellite. Most of the equipment was developed at the DESTO and the spacecraft designing took place in Instrumentation Laboratories in Karachi. Space Innovations Limited took contributed technical assistance required for assembling the Badr-B. Badr-B was developed in 1996 but the delay of Russian space-rocket put the satellite on hold for more than 4 years. Abdul Qadeer Khan unsuccessfully attempted to launch the satellite from the Sonmiani Launch Complex using Ghauri-1missile as the transportation vehicle which was denied by the government at that time. In 2001, the Air Force Strategic Command flew the Badr-B to Kazakhstan where it was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 10 December 2001 abroad a Ukrainian Zenit-2 rocket. ==Design==

The economic cost of the Badr-B is not publicly known but it is estimated to be more costly than the first satellite, Badr-I. The gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar arrays were used to provide and generate the electronic power during the sunlit periods. The nickel cadmium (NiCd) batteries stored power for use during the eclipse periods. Earth pointing single axis stabilization was achieved by the use of a 6 m gravity gradient boom with a trip mass of 4 kg. ==Launch plans and site selections==

The SUPARCO set its deadline to launch the satellite in 1994 but, due to the satellite being upgraded time passed and SUPARCO lost the space orbital entry slot. In 2001, senior scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan approached the Pakistan Government to receive permission to launch the satellite from either Tilla Launch Complex or Sonmiani Launch Complex. In a media interview given at Nathiagali, Abdul Qadeer Khan maintained that, "Pakistan has very robust nuclear I.R.B.M. system which can launch geostationary orbiting satellites. All Pakistan has to do is to erase Delhi or Calcutta from the target and point it towards the sky. Instead of Hydrogen bombs and Atomic bombs, the missiles can easily carry a payload of an 80 kg satellite into the sky". Astrophysicist Shahid Kureshi also argued that [IRBM] missiles have very robust and effective electronics and computer system, the Satellite Launch Vehicle|[SLV]s used the similar technology. Taking part in this discussion, Nuclear physicist Pervez Hoodbhoy believed that "If we [Pakistan] can launch a missile up to a range of 1,500 km, why not build an [SLV] that can launch low-atmosphere satellites?". Abdul Majid, an astrophysicist, countered the pressure in a media interview in 1999 given to Dawn Newspapers, and in his own words, Majid summed up that, "with Meteor-3M (a Soviet satellite), other four satellites one each from [Pakistan], Malaysia, Morocco and the United States are to be mounted on the bigger Russian rocket. It was only the Pakistan's Badr-B satellite which had met the deadline set by the Russians. The deadline was in April. All the other satellites failed to meet the deadline". ==Launch and mission==

After receiving criticism from the scientific society, the SUPARCO succeeded in a talks held with Russian Federal Space Agency on a possible low rates. The PAF's Air Force Strategic Command flew the satellite on C-130 Hercules to Kazakhstan. The Badr-B was taken to Baikonur Cosmodrome along with Russian satellites which were also stored for the final assembly. The Badr-B, along with Soviet built Meteor-3M, was installed at the Zenit-2 expandable rocket. A high level delegation of SUPARCO headed by Major-General Raza Hussain arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome to witness the launch. At 17:18UTC, the Badr-B was launched along with Meteor-3M with an ascending node time of about 09:15. ==Experiments==

The Badr-B conduct four major on-board experiments, including taking the snap shots of Earth images, and data storage and forwarding to its mission control center. The Badr-B also used the radiation dosimeter to measure the exposure of Sun's ionizing radiation and, also used to study the electromagnetic field of Earth. The Badr-B also conduct studies on charge battery when it is exposed to Solar flare and forwarded Solar winds. Expected results were sent to its mission control center in Islamabad. ==Achievements==

Overall, the Badr-B was an ambitious project that was intended to learn and developed the low-cost EOS satellites, and to build the infrastructure for larger satellites. Under the Space Programme 2040, the Badr-B was replaced with more complex and technologically advance high-resolution satellite PRSS-O1, which was launched in 2018. ==References==