Pakistan astronauts prepare for space flight to Chinese space station
China has selected two Pakistani astronauts to train for a mission to its Tiangong space station.
According to Xinhua, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud were chosen after undergoing assessments and are expected to arrive in China for training under the China Manned Space Agency. One of them will serve as a payload specialist on a future mission alongside a Chinese crew, becoming the first foreign astronaut to enter the Tiangong space station.
Their selection follows a cooperation agreement signed between China and Pakistan in February last year, allowing Pakistani astronauts to participate in flight missions to the Chinese space station.
“The selection and training of astronauts for Pakistan is a milestone in the history of China’s space programme, a landmark achievement in international cooperation on the Chinese space station,” Xinhua said.
“[It is] another successful example of the implementation of the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership in the space field. It fully shows the Chinese government’s open attitude of sharing the fruits of its space development with the international community.”
The planned mission, expected towards the end of the year, forms part of China’s broader effort to expand international cooperation in space. China has previously launched multiple payloads for Pakistan, including remote sensing satellites, and plans to carry a Pakistani lunar rover as part of the 2028 Chang’e-8 mission.
China has also pledged to allow foreign astronauts to visit the Tiangong space station and conduct experiments. In 2023, Chen Shanguang, deputy chief designer of China’s manned space programme, said astronauts travelling on Chinese spacecraft and operating within the Tiangong “must familiarise themselves with China’s space systems” through training in China.
The Tiangong space station was completed in 2022 and is one of two operational space stations. The International Space Station (ISS), developed through a partnership between Russia, the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan, is expected to retire in 2030.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
