Pakistani astronaut to visit Chinese Space Station; to be first foreign visitor there
Tiangong Space Station Photograph: (X/TiangongStation)
"According to the plan, two selected Pakistani astronauts will undergo training along with Chinese astronauts," announced Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson of the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The Chinese Manned Space Agency(CMSA) announced on Thursday (30th Oct) that they would train two Pakistani astronauts, one of whom would later join the Chinese crew on a short-duration mission to China's Tiangong Space Station. This Pakistani astronaut, who would eventually be chosen for undertaking human spaceflight, would be the first foreign visitor to the Chinese Space Station. China is Pakistan's main backer when it comes to space technology.
While the decades-old International Space Station is a multilateral effort that involves the US, Russia, Japan, Canada and Europe, China has been operating its own full-fledged Tiangong (literal meaning Heavenly Palace) space station since late 2022. Like the International Space Station, its Chinese counterpart serves as a lab that circles 400 km above the Earth, hosts a wide range of experiments and a permanent crew of astronauts.
"According to the plan, two selected Pakistani astronauts will undergo training along with Chinese astronauts. One of them will be scheduled to carry out a short-duration flight mission as a payload expert based on the mid-term plan for the Chinese space station and the cooperation process," announced Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson of the CMSA. During the mission, the astronaut, in addition to performing routine duties, will also conduct scientific experiments for Pakistan, it was revealed.
Following the signing of a cooperation agreement between China and Pakistan in February this year, the official selection process for Pakistani astronauts has been launched, according to the CMSA spokesperson.
China's astronaut selection process consists of three stages: preliminary selection, secondary selection, and final selection. In the case of the Pakistani astronaut, the preliminary stage is being carried out in Pakistan, while the secondary and final selections will take place in China, said the spokesperson.
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Preparations for the secondary selection phase are already underway, including training programs, teaching materials, training equipment, and logistical support for daily life during the training period.
While Pakistan has a space agency by the name SUPARCO, its independent activities are very limited, and they do not possess spacefaring rockets. Most of Pakistan's satellites are built with assistance from China, and their launches are carried out on Chinese rockets from Chinese soil.
"We're proactive in selecting foreign astronauts to participate in flight missions to the Chinese space station, facilitating international cooperation and exchange. We welcome counterparts from all over the world to participate in Chinese space station expeditions," said Zhang Jingbo.
In 2025, an Indian astronaut flew to the International Space Station
In June 2025, Indian Air Force Test Pilot, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, flew to the International Space Station(ISS) as part of the American Axiom-4 mission, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon craft. Shukla became the second Indian to fly to space, and he did so 41 years after the Soviet mission that carried India's Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma to the then Salyut-7 Soviet Space station.
While Rakesh Sharma's mission was done during the nascent stage of the Indian Space Programme, Shukla's Axiom-4 flight is meant to serve as a precursor and training mission for India's own Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. As part of Gaganyaan, India's space agency ISRO is working towards independently launching Indian astronauts on an Indian rocket and capsule to circle the earth, perform basic experiments within the capsule, and return safely for a splashdown landing. India hopes to accomplish Gaganyaan by the end of the decade, and also has long-term plans of building an independent space station.
