Beijing (AFP) – A Pakistani astronaut will become the first foreigner to visit the Chinese space station, the China Human Spaceflight Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday.
Published on: 07/11/2026 - 12:20
Pakistan and China have enjoyed close diplomatic and strategic relations for decades and signed an agreement in February 2025 on a Chinese government training program for Pakistani astronauts.
The Pakistani astronaut, whose name has not been officially announced, will fly with the crew of Shenzhou-24 on a date not yet specified by the CMSA, according to a press release published on social networks.
The Pakistani astronaut, a "payload specialist" - a crew member responsible for operating and supervising on-board scientific instruments, satellites or experiments - will return to Earth after a short orbital flight, the CMSA press release said.
It will return aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, which docked with China's Tiangong space station in May.
The press release does not mention the name of the astronaut, but the CMSA indicated in April that astronauts Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud had been selected to begin their training in China.
Beijing has invested heavily in its space program in recent years, catching up with its main rival, the United States, and intends to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030.
China is Pakistan's largest trading partner and a major investor, having injected tens of billions of dollars to finance vast transport, energy and infrastructure projects.
As part of the 2025 agreement, after training in China, Pakistani astronauts will carry out short-term missions with their Chinese counterparts over the "next few years", the official Xinhua news agency reported at the time.
© 2026 AFP
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