Space is a frontier of transformation that integrates cutting edge science and technology with strategic resource development and management. While space was once considered an adventure, it is now considered crucial for indigenous socio-economic development. In this regard, Pakistan’s space policy aims to leverage space technology to leverage various sectors, especially marine and coastal resources, to drive economic growth, bring about social upliftment and enhance national security.
Pakistan’s space exploration journey began in 1961 when the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmospheric Research Commission (SUPARCO) was established as a space science research wing and was elevated to a space commission in 1981. One of the leading actors in the space age, Pakistan’s space breakthrough began with the development of the Lehbar rocket program in collaboration with the United States. Despite the groundbreaking start of its space program, persistent unfavorable political and economic conditions led to a backslide in space development. However, the space journey continued to drift, with particular emphasis on satellite technology, which saw the launch of indigenous experimental satellites Badr I and Badr II in 1990 and 2000, respectively, mainly with the assistance of China. Pakistan’s remote sensing satellite program replaced the Badr series. Subsequently, Pakistan launched optical and earth observation satellites named PRSS-1 (Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite-1) and PAK-TES 1A (Pakistan Technology Assessment Satellite) through Chinese launch pads in 2018.
SUPARCO’s space spirit was revitalized in July 2011 when the Pakistan National Command Authority (NCA) approved the first-ever space vision called Space Plan 2040, which is the foundation of Pakistan’s space ambitions and includes launching five geostationary orbit and six low earth orbit satellites by 2040. The vision was subsequently named Vision 2047 in 2014 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Pakistan. Now, Pakistan has set its sights on the stars by unveiling a National Space Policy, approved on December 13, 2023, which charts a progressive path to harness the immense potential of the space sector for the realization of development goals.
Pakistan’s Space Policy has several key objectives including formulating a space regulatory framework, promoting public-private partnerships in the sector, utilizing space technology for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), strengthening the space technology base, and enhancing international cooperation in the space sector. The policy asks the National Space Agency to encourage the use of space applications in multifaceted economic sectors such as forestry, agriculture, geology and mineral exploration, water resources, urban planning and management, environment, and geographic information systems. Other areas include disaster monitoring and mitigation, land cover mapping, and cryosphere modeling. In terms of the maritime sector, the Space Policy provides for the development of coastal and marine resources.
Pakistan, a coastal country of the Indian Ocean with a coastline of 1001 km, is blessed with diverse coastal and marine resources that can exponentially propel the economic engine of the country. However, these resources remain largely untapped due to lack of policy guidance and paucity of necessary technologies. In an unfavourable environment to explore the vast pool of resources available, Pakistan’s Space Policy offers a ray of hope by emphasising the use of space technology to exploit the maritime sector. The policy underpins the use of remote sensing technology for assessment of coastal and marine resources, oceanography, mapping of coastal morphology, topography, navigational channels and bathymetry, and mapping of streams and coastal lakes. Further, it emphasises on identifying and monitoring aquaculture and fishing grounds while observing coastal erosion and sedimentation. However, the policy only enumerates the aforementioned sub-sectors related to the maritime sector that can leverage space technology but does not mention the key measures, objectives and possible courses of action with respect to each sub-sector.
Pakistan can utilize space technology to develop its marine resources, especially its maritime resources which consist of 240,000 square kilometres of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and 50,000 kilometres of continental shelf. With diverse and unique geological regions such as offshore Indus, offshore Makran and the Malay Ridge, Pakistan’s EEZ has the potential to produce oil, gas, minerals and fish resources. There is limited scientific knowledge on these marine resources, but this can be overcome through satellite imagery for identification, monitoring and management of marine resources.
Pakistan’s marine fisheries sector plays a vital role in the national economy, directly involving 400,000 people and indirectly employing 1 million. 23,000 registered fishing vessels are used to commercially exploit a wide variety of fish species present at 22 fish landing sites in Sindh and Balochistan. Geospatial data and tools such as Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) and Automatic Identification System (AIS) can be used to identify and map fishing vessel movements and quantify catches, which are essential for detecting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fish. Additionally, analysis of environmental parameters such as chlorophyll concentration and sea surface temperature along the coast helps identify fish populations and detect potential fishing and farming sites.
When it comes to oceanography, satellite technology has revolutionized the field, providing unparalleled insight into the physical properties of the ocean, mapping the seafloor, predicting extreme weather events, tracking marine life, and improving navigation safety. Pakistan can particularly leverage this technology to study ocean acidification and sea-level rise, which are key indicators of climate change. Similarly, to map coastline geometry and coastal topography, multi-temporal satellite imagery can provide robust data on topographical conditions.
Pakistan can significantly optimize its navigation by adopting satellite technology that provides real-time position data, allowing vessels to navigate safely, easily and with pinpoint accuracy, especially in challenging waters. Mariners from the largest merchant ships to the smallest fishing vessels use satellite data for navigation purposes. US GPS, Russia’s GLONASS, China’s BeiDou, Europe’s Galileo, India’s NavIC etc. provided by satellites that have revolutionized maritime navigation are prime examples. Moreover, satellite data could prove vital for position tracking and communications, obstacle and unauthorized access detection, docking operations and berth management, and remote ship management. Pakistan will need to indigenously develop its satellite navigation capabilities to reap the benefits of satellite navigation effectively and uninterrupted.
Bathymetry, the measurement of ocean depth, is another sub-sector where Pakistan can leverage satellite technology in the maritime domain. Satellite bathymetry (SDB) offers multiple benefits and ensures cost-effectiveness as coastal mapping through SDB eliminates the need for expensive equipment and labor-intensive surveys. Rapid data collection through satellite images allows for the creation of bathymetric maps that help in navigation safety, monitoring coastal ecosystems, facilitating coastal resource management and marine habitat protection. It can also measure coastal vulnerability for disaster response planning.
Satellite imagery has also been crucial in mapping the creek regions of Pakistan. Sir Creek, a 96 km estuary of the Rann of Kutch, is endowed with a variety of commercially extractable resources including vegetation, minerals, oil, gas and petroleum. Satellite imagery can revolutionize resource exploration by helping in identifying potential resource areas and at the same time creating high resolution maps of the creek’s resource distribution. As the course of the creek region is constantly changing, satellites are extremely useful in analysing the extent of deposition and avulsion for sustainable resource management. Additionally, this data also aids in predictability analysis of shoreline geometry.
Pakistan’s dynamic coastline is also exposed to coastal hazards as rising sea levels are increasing coastline erosion, adversely affecting densely populated areas. Satellites equipped with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can be used for large-scale monitoring of major coastal erosion hotspots such as Sonmiani, Pasni, Jiwani and Badin identified in the National Assessment Report on Coastal Erosion, 2014. This can help in advance detection and risk mitigation of erosion trends that result in land loss and infrastructure damage.
Considering the immense benefits that satellite technology can bring to marine resource utilization, it is imperative to delineate a concrete roadmap for effective use of space technology in various sub-sectors within the purview of marine and coastal resources in order to optimize resource management and promote sustainable development in Pakistan.
