Pakistani astronaut to join China’s next space station mission

What the report says

China’s Manned Space Agency has chosen a Pakistani astronaut to serve as a payload specialist on the upcoming Shenzhou-24 mission, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on Chinese state media. If the flight goes ahead as described, the unnamed astronaut would become the first foreign national to visit China’s space station. Chinese officials have not publicly identified the astronaut or announced a departure date, though the mission is expected before the end of the year.

The selection comes under a bilateral space cooperation programme linked to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Al Jazeera reported that Pakistani pilots Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud had already spent months training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center in Beijing. The training reportedly included operational drills and Chinese-language instruction to prepare the candidates for spaceflight.

The article says China and Pakistan agreed last February to a government-led astronaut training arrangement, reflecting their broader strategic and economic ties. China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a major investor. The report also notes that China will deploy Pakistan’s first lunar rover, Jinnah-1, on a separate mission.

More broadly, the development highlights China’s expanding space programme and its effort to deepen international partnerships while working toward its long-term goal of sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030. That broader context is based on background mentioned in the report.