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Pakistani astronaut to join China’s next space station mission
China has selected a Pakistani astronaut to serve as a payload specialist on its upcoming Shenzhou-24 mission, which would make them the first foreign national to visit China’s space station. The selection reflects growing space cooperation between China and Pakistan, and forms part of a programme to train Pakistani astronauts.
China has not named the astronaut or announced a launch date, though the mission is expected by the end of 2026. Pakistani pilots Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud trained in Beijing; China’s state broadcaster said the crew would return to Earth aboard Shenzhou-23 after a short stay in orbit. Pakistan is also due to send its first lunar rover, Jinnah-1, a 35kg vehicle designed to study lunar soil, radiation and plasma behaviour.
In short
- A Pakistani astronaut is set to join China’s Shenzhou-24 mission.
- The astronaut would be the first foreign visitor to China’s space station.
- Pakistan’s 35kg Jinnah-1 rover is also due to head to the Moon.
Explained simply
China’s Tiangong is a space station in low Earth orbit where crews live and carry out scientific work. Astronauts travel to it in Shenzhou spacecraft, and a payload specialist joins a mission to conduct experiments or other work with equipment on board.
Pakistan and China have worked together on space projects, and Pakistan has been training astronauts for a place on a Chinese mission. The astronaut’s identity has not been announced; Pakistani pilots Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud have trained in Beijing.
The planned flight would be a first for China’s station: until now, its visiting crews have been Chinese. Pakistan is also developing a small lunar rover, part of its wider effort to take part in space research.