LAHORE MIRROR (AFP) — A Pakistani astronaut will travel to China’s Tiangong space station aboard the Shenzhou-24 mission, becoming the first foreigner to visit the orbiting outpost, Beijing’s manned space agency said on Saturday.
Pakistan and China are close diplomatic and strategic partners, and signed a deal in February 2025 setting up a Chinese government training programme for Pakistani astronauts.
The statement by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) did not give a date of departure, but the mission is expected to take place by the end of the year.
The Pakistani astronaut, a payload specialist, will join a short orbital flight before returning with the Shenzhou-23 spaceship, which docked at the Tiangong space station in May, according to the CMSA.
The agency did not name the Pakistani crew member, but said in April that astronauts Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud had been chosen to start training in China.
