Pakistani Astronaut Set for Historic China Space Mission

ISLAMABAD: (Mudassar Iqbal) – Pakistan is set to achieve a historic milestone in space exploration, as a Pakistani astronaut is expected to become the first foreign national to visit China’s space station as part of the country’s upcoming crewed space mission.

China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday that the Pakistani astronaut would travel aboard the Shenzhou-24 mission, marking the first joint spaceflight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China’s manned space programme.

The development represents a significant step forward in space cooperation between Pakistan and China, which have maintained close diplomatic and strategic ties for decades.

The Pakistani astronaut will serve as a payload specialist and undertake a short-duration orbital mission before returning aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, which docked with China’s Tiangong space station in May, according to the CMSA.

Although the agency did not disclose the astronaut’s identity or the exact launch date, the mission is expected to take place by the end of this year.

In April, the CMSA announced that Pakistani candidates Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud had been selected to begin astronaut training in China. Following three rounds of selection and assessment, both were chosen as reserve astronauts and subsequently joined China’s training programme.

After completing the required training and evaluations, one of the two candidates will be selected for the spaceflight, while the other will serve as a backup.

Pakistan and China signed an agreement in February 2025 to establish a training programme for Pakistani astronauts in China. Under the arrangement, Pakistani astronauts are expected to undertake short-term space missions alongside Chinese counterparts over the coming years.

China has significantly expanded its space programme in recent years and aims to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030. Pakistan’s participation in the upcoming mission is being described as an important milestone in bilateral space cooperation.

China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a major foreign investor, while both countries frequently describe their longstanding relationship as an “all-weather” friendship.