A Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 crewed flight mission as a payload specialist, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Saturday. The move marks a historic step for Pakistan’s space exploration.
The mission will be the first joint spaceflight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in China’s manned space programme. It is seen as a significant milestone in China-Pakistan space cooperation.
Cooperation deal and astronaut selection process
China and Pakistan signed a cooperation agreement in Islamabad in February 2025 to select and train Pakistani astronauts for missions to China’s space station. After three rounds of rigorous selection and assessment, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud were named reserve astronauts.
Training and roles for the upcoming mission
Both men then entered China’s astronaut training programme. Once training and evaluations are complete, one of the two will fly the crewed mission, while the other will serve as backup.
