Human spaceflight

Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight) is space travel with a crew aboard the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is crewed, it can be operated directly, as opposed to being remotely operated or autonomous.

The first human spaceflight was launched by the Soviet Union on 12 April 1961 as a part of the Vostok program, with cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin aboard. Humans have been continually present in space for 7008482747451000000♠15 years and 109 days on the International Space Station.

Since the retirement of the US Space Shuttle in 2011, only Russia and China have maintained human spaceflight capability with the Soyuz program and Shenzhou program. Currently, all expeditions to the International Space Station use Soyuz vehicles, which remain attached to the station to allow quick return if needed. The United States is developing commercial crew transportation to facilitate domestic access to ISS and low Earth orbit, as well as the Orion vehicle for beyond-low Earth orbit applications.

Space programme 2040

The Space Programme 2040 is a satellite development and launch programme of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) — Pakistan's supreme space research authority. The Space Programme 2040 intends to replace the Badr satellite programme and geo-stationary communication satellite. On August 11, Paksat-IR was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center by China, making it first satellite to be launched under this programme. According to Suparco, five GEO satellites and six LEO satellites will be launched in between 2011 till 2040.

The stated goals of the program are to expected gain significant experience in satellite development, practicing of Space medicine, and to promote socio-economic sector in the country. While, the programme intend to learn to developed the military and space technologies and to conduct experiments on fundamental sciences in space frontier, the Government maintained that Space Programme-2040's prime purpose to bring the benefits of the full spectrum of space technology to the people of Pakistan. On July 15, 2011, Prime minister Yousaf Gillani gave official approval of the programme with the 2011 Pakistan fiscal year budget.