The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), is an executive and bureaucratic space agency of the Government of Pakistan, responsible for the nation's public and civil space programme and for aeronautics and aerospace research. Its mission statement and objective is to conduct peaceful research in space technology and promote the technology for socio-economic uplift of the country.
Established in its modern form on 16 September 1961 by an executive order of President of Pakistan, it is headquartered in Karachi, Sindh Province of Pakistan. Part of the Strategic Plans Division (SPD) of Pakistan Armed Forces, which is currently headquartered at the Chakalala Military District under the control of the PAF; the space programme recorded number of pioneering accomplishments in space flight during the initial years of its establishment.
Since its creation in 1961, the SUPARCO has achieved numerous milestones, including the first successful spaceflight of country's first weather expendable launch rocket, Rehbar-I. The country's first satellite, Badr-I, was built by the SUPARCO and launched by the People's Republic of China in 1990. However, during the meantime, the space programme suffered many setbacks, difficulties, and problems that partly slowed the progress of the space programme. The bureaucratic influence and politicization further lagged the space programme and many projects were cancelled by the superior authorities.
Over the years, SUPARCO expanded and has several well expanded installations all over the country as assets, and cooperates in peaceful use of space technology with the international community as a part of several bilateral and multilateral agreements. SUPARCO's science and research is mainly focused and concentrated on better understanding of the Solar system,Space weather,astrophysics (Big Bang Theory and Physical cosmology),astronomical observation,climatic studies, space and telemedicine, remote sensing and the Earth observation.
Since 1958, Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam had played a major and influential role in the development of Pakistan's science policy. It was Salam's advice to the President, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, to establish a national space authority to oversee the development on the space programme; this led to the establishment of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (denoted as SUPARCO) on 16 September 1961, with Abdus Salam being its first administrator and director. It was decided to set up a committee dealing with space sciences, consequently, a Space Sciences Research Wing at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). Within few weeks, the committee was established through the Presidential Executive Order (PEO) of President Ayub Khan which was addressed to co-chairman Ishrat Usmani, the Chairman of PAEC. The programme of rocket test firings was entrusted to the Chairman of PAEC.