Pakistani astronaut to join Chinese space station’s Shenzhou-24 mission
China has not identified the astronaut, but pilots Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud have spent months training in Beijing.
Beijing has announced that a Pakistani astronaut will join China's Shenzhou-24 mission to the space station, marking the first joint spaceflight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in China's manned space program. The mission, which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative, aims to foster cooperation between the two nations.
A broadcaster reported that the Pakistani astronaut will serve as a payload specialist in the mission, according to the China Manned Space Agency. While the identity of the astronaut has not been disclosed, two Pakistani pilots, Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, have undergone extensive training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center in Beijing for this mission, according to a Pakistani space agency official.
The exact launch date of the mission has not yet been announced by Beijing. Following a brief in-orbit flight, the Pakistani astronaut is expected to return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
