China Manned Space Agency: Pakistani Astronaut Set for Tiangong Station Mission

BEIJING — A Pakistani astronaut is set to become the first foreigner to visit China’s space station, joining the crew of the upcoming Shenzhou-24 mission, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday.

The announcement marks a significant milestone in space cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad, who maintain close diplomatic and strategic ties. The two nations previously signed an agreement in February 2025 establishing a specialized Chinese government training programme for Pakistani astronauts.

While the CMSA did not disclose an exact launch date, the mission is anticipated to lift off by the end of the year. According to the space agency, the Pakistani crew member will serve as a payload specialist, undertaking a short orbital flight before returning to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spaceship, which has been docked at the Tiangong space station since May.

Although the agency withheld the identity of the specific traveller for this upcoming flight, previous disclosures in April identified Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud as the two Pakistani candidates selected to begin training in China. Under the terms of the 2025 bilateral agreement, these trained personnel are scheduled to participate in short-term missions alongside Chinese counterparts over the coming years, as reported earlier by state news agency Xinhua.

The collaborative space endeavor builds upon the decades-long, “all-weather” partnership between the two countries. China remains Pakistan’s largest trading partner and its primary foreign investor.

The mission also unfolds against the backdrop of Beijing’s broader ambitions in space exploration. China has poured substantial resources into its space programme in recent years to rival the United States, with a stated national goal of landing its astronauts on the Moon by 2030.