PM Gilani visits China Academy of Space Technology
BEIJING, May 20 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on the last day of his four-day official visit to China visited the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) here on Friday.The Prime Minister visited various sections of the CAST including the workshop and Vacuum Chamber, where a Pakistani satellite PAKSAT-1R is under construction.The new PAKSAT-1R will be sent to the orbit on August 14 this year, replacing the existing PAKSAT-1. The Prime Minister was briefed about various technical aspects and stages of the construction of satellites.
EXIM Bank of China had announced a soft-term credit of 86.5 million RMB for the manufacturing of PAKSAT-1R during the visit of Prime Minister Gilani to China in late 2009, while an agreement for the manufacturing of this satellite by CAST was reached in late 2008 during the visit of President Asif Ali Zardari.
Pakistan and China have cooperation in various fields including the space technology and Pakistan’s first satellite Badar was also launched with the help of China in 1990.
The Prime Minister also signed the visitors’ book at CAST