ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to achieve a major milestone in space exploration as one of its astronauts will join China’s next crewed space mission, becoming the first foreign astronaut to travel to the country’s Tiangong space station.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday that the Pakistani astronaut would participate in the upcoming Shenzhou-24 mission.
The flight will mark the first time a foreign astronaut joins a Chinese crew on an orbital mission, opening a new chapter in space cooperation between Pakistan and China.
Although the agency did not announce the launch date, the mission is expected to take place before the end of this year.
According to CMSA, the Pakistani astronaut will serve as a payload specialist and undertake a short-duration mission in orbit before returning aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, which docked with the Tiangong space station in May.
The agency has yet to disclose the astronaut’s identity.
However, in April, China announced that Pakistani candidates Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud had been selected to begin astronaut training.
Both were chosen as reserve astronaut candidates following three rounds of selection and assessment before joining China’s training programme.
After completing the required training and evaluations, one of them will participate in the spaceflight, while the other will remain on standby as a backup.
Pakistan and China signed an agreement in February 2025 to establish a programme for training Pakistani astronauts in China and enabling them to participate in future space missions.
Under the arrangement, Pakistani astronauts are expected to undertake short-term space missions alongside Chinese crew members over the coming years.
China has significantly expanded its space programme in recent years and is pursuing an ambitious goal of sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030.
The development further strengthens the longstanding strategic partnership between Islamabad and Beijing, which extends across trade, investment, defence and scientific cooperation.
