Pakistan has offered $ 130 million to Russia for developing and launching a spy satellite capable of 'keeping an eye on India and other neighbouring countries', a Russian daily reported. The preparations are nearing completion for the launch of Pakistan's first satellite 'Badr-B' aboard Russian 'Zenit' booster and Pakistani space agency 'Suparco' is exploring the possibility of placing orders with the Russian space industsry for developing and launching a remote sensing satellite with high resolution cameras - in other words, a spy satellite, the daily Vremya Novostyei said.
Russia has so far abstained from signing a contract saying "our old time ally India would be the main object of Pakistan spy satellite," the daily wrote.
Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov has cleared launching of Pakistan's mini-satellite 'Badr-B' in package with two Russian and a joint German-Moroccan satellites.
Former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif had signed a deal to launch a mini-satellite with Russia in 1990's but due to technical hitches Islamabad's entry into the space club has been delayed by about two years.
In the contract signed with Russia, Islamabad has described the functions of its satellite in very obscure terms like 'meteorological and photo survey', 'testing of the integrity of communication services', the daily said.
"It seems that by launching Badr-B Pakistan simply wants to verify whether its telecom facilities are capable of sustaining a reliable contact with the orbiting satellite.
Only later it would launch something
more serious than Badr-B," Vremya Novostyei said.