Pakistan to send astronaut to China’s space station aboard Shenzhou-24 mission

A Pakistani astronaut will join the crew of China's Shenzhou-24 spacecraft this year, becoming the first foreign national to visit Beijing's space station, Chinese state media reported on Saturday.The astronaut will undertake a short-term stay in orbit before returning to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, according to the China Manned Space Agency.The agency has not announced the launch date or identified the astronaut.The mission will mark the first joint spaceflight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China's manned space programme, news agency Xinhua reported.The Pakistani astronaut will participate as a payload specialist, according to Chinese broadcaster CCTV.Two Pakistani candidates underwent training in ChinaEarlier this year, two Pakistani candidates, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, had begun training alongside their Chinese counterparts. One of them was expected to be selected for the short-duration mission.The training included developing hands-on operational capabilities as well as intensive Chinese language instruction.The two candidates had been training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre in Beijing, according to a Pakistani space agency official.The mission is part of an agreement signed by China and Pakistan in February 2025. It also forms part of the two countries' broader cooperation in space exploration under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative.China and Pakistan expand space cooperationPakistan has also outlined wider ambitions for its space programme. Planning minister Ahsan Iqbal said last month that the country aims to land on the Moon by 2035.Pakistan and China are also collaborating on a Pakistani-built lunar rover for China's Chang'e-8 mission, expected around 2028. The rover is intended to use artificial intelligence-based stereo imaging to identify obstacles, assess distances and navigate the lunar surface autonomously.The lunar rover project is separate from Pakistan's stated ambition to achieve a lunar landing by 2035.A Pakistani space agency official told Reuters last month that there was no official commitment or discussion about sending a Pakistani astronaut to the Moon under the existing partnership.China plans crewed Moon landing by 2030China is preparing for its first crewed lunar landing by 2030.The United States is seen as its main rival in space exploration, with Nasa aiming to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028.India, meanwhile, has set a target of sending an astronaut to the Moon by 2040 and establishing its own space station by 2035.Its Gaganyaan programme aims to conduct its first crewed orbital mission by 2027, following planned uncrewed missions.