MoSt to set up space technology institute

ISLAMABAD, : Ministry of Science and Technology has decided to set up National Institute of Space Technology at Islamabad which will be the first of its kind in the Islamic World.


The Institute will offer courses at MS and Ph.D. level and provide advanced research facilities of education and research in Space Science. The Institute will provide sponsorship to upto 100 Pakistani students for Ph.D. studies in space and related disciplines at the World’s leading Universities. The decision to this effect was taken in a meeting presided over by Federal Minister Incharge, Ministry of Science and Technology, Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman at M/o Science and Technology. Addressing the meeting the Minister said until now, Pakistan has been reliant on foreign countries in terms of training manpower and manufacture of equipment related to Space technologies.


The problems increase manifold due to restrictions on Western training and technology in aerospace. The establishment of the Institute, with its own Research Centre, will ensure sovereignty in this sphere. “Due to the continuous advancements made in this discipline around the World, it has become critically important for Pakistan to have a national Institute in Space Technology having advanced facilities of education and research with highly qualified manpower” said the Minister. Earlier the Minister had constituted a Committee under Chairman SUPARCO Maj. Gen. Retd. Raza Hussain to prepare the plan for the establishment of the Institute. Other members of the committee includes Director IST MR. Ayaz Aziz, Dr. Bilal Mughal Senior Consultant SUPARCO and Col. Farouque Khokhar Registrar. The Committee gave a presentation highlighting the need for National Institute of Space Technology. The Minister was informed that the Institute will conduct advanced innovative research and development activities in various disciplines of Space Sciences and Technologies such as satellites, launch vehicles, remote sensing imagery, urban plang and climate/environmental change all of which are vital to the national self reliance and economic well being.


The Institute will offer education and R&D facilities at MS and PhD in the disciplines of Aerospace Engineering, Communications, Computational Mathematics and Earth & Space Sciences. Degree programmes will focus on School of engineering, School of Science, Aerospace engineering, Earth and Space Sciences, Communication systems engineering, Computational Mathematics and Humanities and Social Sciences.

[----Kindling the flame of Science in Pakistan----]