Pakistani astronaut to join China’s Shenzhou-24 Mission, Chinese state media confirms

A Pakistani astronaut is set to become the first foreign national to visit China’s Tiangong space station, joining the crew of the Shenzhou-24 mission, Chinese state media reported on Saturday.

The astronaut will participate as a payload specialist in the mission, marking the first joint spaceflight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts, according to broadcaster CCTV, citing the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

China has not publicly identified the Pakistani astronaut selected for the mission. However, two candidates, Khurram Daud and Muhammad Zeeshan Ali, have been undergoing training in China under a bilateral astronaut cooperation programme. However, the individual selected for the Shenzhou-24 flight has not yet been publicly named.

A Pakistani space agency official told Reuters in September that both pilots had spent months training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre in Beijing.

The CMSA said the Pakistani astronaut would undertake a short-term orbital flight before returning to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, which docked with the Tiangong space station in May.

Beijing has not announced the mission’s launch date, although the mission is expected to take place by the end of 2026.

Pakistan-China astronaut cooperation

Pakistan and China signed an agreement in February 2025 to establish a cooperation programme for training Pakistani astronauts.

Under the agreement, Pakistani astronauts would receive training in China before participating in short-term space missions alongside Chinese counterparts over the following years, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported. The two countries shortlisted candidates for the programme in February 2026. SUPARCO subsequently identified Daud and Ali as the two candidates selected for advanced training in China.

One of the two is expected to make history as Pakistan’s first astronaut to participate in a mission aboard China’s Tiangong space station.

China’s expanding space programme

China has invested heavily in its space programme in recent years, expanding its human spaceflight capabilities and developing its own permanently crewed space station.

The Shenzhou-24 mission is part of Beijing’s broader space cooperation efforts under its Belt and Road Initiative. China has also set a target of landing astronauts on the Moon by 2030, as it continues to expand its space exploration programme.

Pakistan and China maintain close diplomatic and strategic ties, with Beijing remaining Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a major foreign investor.