How Pakistan became the first country to assist NASA to the moon

In an interview, senior space scientist Tariq Mustafa gives a unique first-hand account of how Pakistan became the first country to answer to NASA’s plea for help with its moon-landing plan.

Mustafa remembers that in 1961, he was summoned to Washington by Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam for an important meeting with NASA leaders.

The US space agency required atmospheric data from the Indian Ocean region for the Apollo programme and provided technical help and training to participating countries.

“This would be a dream come true,” Mustafa remembers telling Salam at their encounter.

Within hours the then 27-year-old engineer was flown to NASA’s Wallops Island to research requirements for creating a rocket range and submit his report the next morning.

Only nine months later, on June 7, 1962, Pakistan successfully fired its first sounding rocket from Sonmiani, adding vital atmospheric data that supported America’s historic Apollo lunar mission.

Mustafa attributes Pakistan’s amazing speed to strong leadership, a qualified scientific workforce and the dedication of a young team that worked day and night to fulfill an ambitious goal.