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

Pakistan plans to send a Pakistani astronaut aboard China's Shenzhou-24 spacecraft, marking the first foreign national to visit the country's space station. The mission, as confirmed by Chinese state media, will be a short-term orbit stay before the astronaut returns to Earth with Shenzhou-23. The China Manned Space Agency has not disclosed the launch date or the astronaut's identity.

This collaboration represents the first joint spaceflight between China and a foreign nation in the history of China's manned space program. The Pakistani astronaut will act as a payload specialist, having undergone training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre in Beijing. This training encompassed operational skills and the Mandarin language.

The agreement between China and Pakistan was signed in February 2025, as part of broader cooperation under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. Pakistan aims to land on the Moon by 2035, a goal which includes collaborating with China on a lunar rover for China's Chang'e-8 mission, scheduled around 2028. However, there is no official commitment regarding a Pakistani astronaut participating in a lunar mission.

China is on track to achieve its first crewed lunar landing by 2030, setting it apart from competitors like the United States and India.