The Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission,[a] commonly referred to as SUPARCO, is the executive and national space agency of Pakistan. It is headquartered at the capital city of Islamabad, with additional facilities at University of the Punjab in Lahore, Punjab, a rear-headquarters in Karachi, Sindh, and its primary launch site at Sonmiani Bay, Balochistan.
Established in 1961 to assist the development of space science and research in Pakistan, the agency started to function only in 1964. It started to import and launch sounding rockets in the early 1960s and attained the capability to fabricate rocket engines. However, the agency kept a low profile for the initial 30–35 years of its existence with limited progress in the field of research and its progress in satellite technology also started relatively late.