Two Pakistani astronauts begin training in China for historic space mission

BEIJING: Two Pakistani astronauts have arrived in China and been admitted to the Astronaut Center of China in Beijing, China Xinhua News reported on Friday, marking a key step in a joint space cooperation programme,.

Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud were earlier selected by the China Manned Space Agency as the first foreign astronauts to be included in China’s human spaceflight training programme, according to an announcement earlier this week.

The two candidates are now set to undergo a full training and evaluation process, after which one of them is expected to join a future space mission as a payload specialist. If selected, the astronaut would become the first foreign national to travel aboard China’s Tiangong space station.

State broadcaster CCTV said both candidates will participate in structured astronaut training in China, though it did not provide a timeline for the mission.

The development marks Pakistan’s first formal entry into astronaut training for potential participation in a human spaceflight mission.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met both astronaut candidates in Islamabad ahead of their departure, calling the programme a milestone in Pakistan’s space ambitions. Officials from the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission also attended the meeting.

China’s space programme has expanded steadily in recent years, with its Tiangong space station now fully operational and hosting long-duration missions as Beijing seeks to establish itself as a major player in human space exploration.

If successful, the Pakistani candidate would be the first foreign astronaut to serve aboard the Chinese space station, underscoring deepening scientific cooperation between Islamabad and Beijing.