Pakistani astronaut to board Shenzhou 24 and become the first foreigner on China's space station
A Pakistani astronaut will join the crew of China's Shenzhou 24 spacecraft on a mission that would make him the first foreign national to board Beijing's space station, state media reported Saturday.
A Pakistani astronaut is set to join China's Shenzhou 24 mission, making history as the first foreign national to visit China's space station. According to state media, the astronaut will participate in a brief orbital flight before returning to Earth aboard the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft. The mission represents the first joint flight between China and a foreign nation in the country's manned space program.
Training for the Pakistani astronaut, one of two selected candidates, included practical spaceflight experience and extensive instruction in the Chinese language. The agreement for this mission between China and Pakistan was signed in February 2025. China aims to conduct its first crewed lunar landing by 2030, while the United States remains its main space rival, with NASA planning to send astronauts to the moon by 2028.
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