Pakistan is about to send its first astronaut into space. A Pakistani crew member will fly to China’s Tiangong space station on the Shenzhou-24 mission, becoming the first person from outside China to visit the station. China’s manned space agency confirmed the plan on Saturday.
The astronaut will travel up on Shenzhou-24 and spend a short time in orbit. After the stay ends, the astronaut will come back to Earth on Shenzhou-23, the spacecraft that docked at Tiangong in May. The agency has not named the astronaut yet, and it has not announced a launch date. The flight is expected before the end of the year.
First Foreign Visitor Aboard Tiangong
Tiangong is China’s own space station, circling Earth high above us. Until now, only Chinese astronauts have lived and worked there. This flight changes that. A Pakistani astronaut will be the first guest from another country to step aboard. It is also the first joint flight in China’s human space programme in which Chinese and foreign astronauts fly together. For Pakistan, it is a first as well. No Pakistani has ever flown into space before.
Two Candidates, One Seat
Two Pakistanis are training for the seat: Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud. Both are pilots. They have spent months training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center in Beijing, working alongside Chinese astronauts. One of them will fly. The agency has not said which one yet.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met both men in April and congratulated them on their selection. He called the mission a “matter of pride for the entire nation” and said he hoped it would “add new dimensions to the brotherly relationship between Pakistan and China”.
The chance came from a deal signed in February 2025. Pakistan’s space agency, SUPARCO, and China’s manned space agency agreed that two Pakistanis would train in China, with one joining a mission to Tiangong.
Why Mission Matters for Pakistan
A payload specialist is a crew member whose main job is science, not flying the spacecraft. In orbit, the astronaut will carry out science tasks as part of a short stay on the station. The job is a big step up for Pakistan’s space programme, known as SUPARCO, which has never sent a person into space before.
The mission also shows how close Pakistan and China have grown. China built Tiangong after the United States barred it from the International Space Station in 2011. Since then, Beijing has built ties with other countries in space, and Pakistan is a natural partner after decades of close friendship. China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a major investor. Beijing has spent heavily on its space programme in recent years and aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030.
Shenzhou-24 Mission Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Mission | Shenzhou-24 |
| Destination | Tiangong space station |
| Role | Payload specialist |
| Outbound spacecraft | Shenzhou-24 |
| Return spacecraft | Shenzhou-23 |
| Candidates | Muhammad Zeeshan Ali, Khurram Daud |
| Launch window | By end of 2026 (date not announced) |
| Historic first | First foreign visitor to Tiangong |
One of two candidates, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali or Khurram Daud. The space agency has not named the final crew member yet.
No date has been announced. The mission is expected before the end of the year. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said in October that it would take place on November 25, but the space agency has not confirmed a date.
Work as a payload specialist during a short stay in orbit, then return to Earth aboard Shenzhou-23.
