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 space station on the Shenzhou-24 mission this year. This marks the first joint spaceflight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in China's manned space program. The Pakistani astronaut will be the first foreign visitor to the space station, taking on the role of a payload specialist in the mission.
The China Manned Space Agency confirmed the news, citing the China Astronaut Research and Training Center in Beijing where the astronaut underwent training alongside Chinese pilots Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud. The exact date of the mission has not been disclosed by Beijing. After a brief in-orbit flight, the Pakistani astronaut is expected to return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft.
This historic mission will see China collaborate with a foreign nation for the first time in its manned space program, as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.
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.
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