Pakistani to be first foreign astronaut on China’s station

A Pakistani astronaut will fly on China's upcoming Shenzhou-24 mission as a payload specialist. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Saturday, November 7, that this will make the astronaut the first foreign national to visit the Tiangong space station, according to the AP. The agency said the flight will be the first joint mission with Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China's crewed space program, Xinhua reported.apnews.com+1

The agency has not said which Pakistani candidate will fly. It also has not announced a launch date, Reuters reported. The mission is expected to launch before the end of the year. In October, Pakistani Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said it would take place on November 25, Dawn reported.dawn.com+1

A short stay in orbit

The Pakistani astronaut will spend several days in orbit and then return to Earth on the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, China Daily reported, citing the agency's statement. Shenzhou-23 docked with Tiangong in May. Chinese crews usually stay for about six months, so this visit will be much shorter, PTI noted. The agency also released the Shenzhou-24 mission emblem on Saturday, according to China Daily.global.chinadaily.com.cn+1

Reuters said the flight is part of bilateral cooperation under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative and described it as an example of China's space diplomacy, citing the state broadcaster CCTV.newsobserver.com

Two candidates, one seat

The agency and Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission signed an agreement in Islamabad in February 2025 to select and train Pakistani astronauts. A three-phase screening process then produced two male pilots as candidates, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, China Daily reported. Once they pass their final assessments, one will fly and the other will serve as backup, The Nation reported.nation.com.pk+1

In September, a Pakistani space agency official told Reuters that the two had spent months training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center in Beijing, Reuters reported. Their training covered spacecraft operations and intensive Chinese language lessons, according to the AP.aol.co.uk+1

A first for Pakistan

No Pakistani has reached orbit before. The highest altitude a Pakistani has reached so far is about 87.4 kilometers. Namira Salim reached that height on a 55-minute suborbital Virgin Galactic flight in October 2023, which fell short of the 100-kilometer Kármán line commonly used as the edge of space, China Daily noted.global.chinadaily.com.cn

China Daily described Tiangong as the only operating space station built entirely by a single nation. The upcoming flight will be the first time the station hosts a visitor from another country.