China will welcome a Pakistani astronaut to its space station in what will be the first time a foreigner has visited the facility.
The astronaut join the Shenzhou-24 crew in the East Asian nation’s next mission into Earth’s orbit, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said in a social media post.
Training program for Pakistani astronauts
According to a report, the astronaut’s space station stint is part of the deal signed in February 2025 between China and Pakistan under Beijing’s training program intended for Pakistani astronauts.
The CMSA did not disclose the identity of the astronaut or the date of departure.
However, it announced that the mission is expected to commence by the end of the year.
The space agency said that the astronaut, who will serve as a payload specialist, will join a short orbital flight before returning with the Shenzhou-23 spaceship, which docked at the Tiangong space station in May.
Although it did not announce the name of the crew member, it is possible that either Muhammad Zeeshan Ali or Khurram Daud could become the first Pakistani astronaut after undergoing training in China since April.
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China targets Moon landing by 2030
The space station project is part of the Chinese government’s program to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030.
Beijing has invested heavily on its space program to catch up with main rival the United States.
Pakistan is a natural partner of China, given the countries’ decades-long, “all-weather” friendship.
Beijing is Islamabad’s top trading partner and a major foreign investor.
As part of the deal, the Pakistani astronauts will carry out short-term missions with Chinese counterparts over the “next few years” after undergoing intense space station training in China.
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