A Pakistani payload specialist will join China's Shenzhou-24 crew for a mission to the Tiangong space station later this year, becoming the first foreign astronaut to visit the orbital outpost.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday that the unnamed astronaut will fly under a bilateral training agreement signed in February 2025. The mission is expected before the end of the year, though no exact launch date has been given. The specialist will conduct scientific experiments aboard the station before returning to Earth on the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, which docked at Tiangong in May.
Two Pakistani pilots, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, were selected in April to begin training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center in Beijing. The candidates spent months preparing under a Chinese government-led programme established by the 2025 deal. Officials have not disclosed which of the pair will serve as payload specialist on the upcoming flight. The training included practical operational exercises and intensive Chinese language lessons.
A payload specialist is a crew member tasked with operating and monitoring scientific instruments, satellites or experiments on board. The mission marks the first time Beijing has hosted a foreign astronaut aboard its orbital outpost. It is part of bilateral cooperation under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. Chinese state media reported that following initial training, Pakistani astronauts will conduct short-term missions with Chinese crews over the next few years.
Chinese state media described the mission as part of the "all-weather" strategic partnership between Islamabad and Beijing. China is Pakistan's largest trading partner and a major foreign investor. Beijing aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030.
