A Pakistani astronaut will become the first foreign national to visit the Tiangong space station of China, joining the crew of the upcoming Shenzhou-24 mission, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday.
The Pakistani astronaut will serve as a payload specialist and take part in a short-duration orbital mission before returning to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, which docked with the Tiangong space station in May, according to the CMSA.
The agency did not announce the name of the astronaut or the launch date of the mission. However, the mission is expected to take place by the end of 2026.
In April, China announced that Pakistani astronauts Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud had been selected to begin training in China. One of them is expected to join the upcoming mission.
Pakistan and China signed an agreement in February 2025 to establish a training programme for Pakistani astronauts. Under the arrangement, selected astronauts would receive training in China and undertake short-term space missions alongside Chinese astronauts over the following years.
The upcoming mission marks a new phase in space cooperation between the two countries, which maintain close diplomatic and strategic ties. China is the largest trading partner and a major foreign investor of Pakistan.
China has expanded its space programme in recent years and plans to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030.
