• One of them will join Chinese programme as payload specialist after advanced training; will become first foreign astronaut to set foot on China’s space station
• PM Shehbaz terms development ‘yet another testimony’ of Islamabad-Beijing friendship
BEIJING / ISLAMABAD: China has selected two Pakistani astronauts as candidates for its manned space programme, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday.
Both will travel to China for training, and one of them will participate in a flight mission as a payload specialist, according to CCTV. He will become the first foreign astronaut to board China’s space station, it added.
China Daily reported that the astronauts, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, had passed multiple rounds of selection procedures and would soon visit China to take part in spaceflight training.
It quoted the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) as saying that the selection and training of Pakistani astronauts was a “landmark event in the history of China’s space industry”.
China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported CMSA as saying that the development fully demonstrated Beijing’s “open attitude and willingness to share its space development achievements with the international community”.
“The peaceful use of outer space for the benefit of all humanity has always been the original aspiration and mission of China’s space programme development,” CMSA added.
Separately, in a statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) said the astronauts were set to depart for China to “begin advanced astronaut training at the Astronaut Centre of China (ACC)”.
‘Significant step’
It stressed that the development was a “significant step forward in Pakistan’s space exploration journey that positions the country in the community of a select group of nations actively engaged in human spaceflight programmes”.
As per Suparco, “under this collaboration, Pakistan is preparing for its first-ever participation in a mission to the China Space Station (CSS)”, which the space agency said was planned for launch in late 2026.
“During mission aboard the CSS, the Pakistani astronaut will conduct several scientific experiments in microgravity,” as per the statement.
It added that the experiments span “critical areas including material science, fluid physics, life/bio science, and biotechnology, with potential applications for climate resilience, food security, and industrial innovation”.
PM hails efforts
Suparco further stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had commended its efforts, terming the development “a harbinger of deep space exploration”.
According to the statement, the premier noted that the partnership with China was “yet another testimony” of Pakistan-China friendship.
Suparco further stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had commended the efforts of the space agency, terming the development “a harbinger of deep space exploration”.
In February 2025, Suparco and CMSA had signed a cooperation agreement.
Under the pact, two Pakistanis were to train in China, with one joining a mission on the Tiangong space station operated by Beijing.
In February this year, two astronauts were shortlisted for Pakistan’s Human Spaceflight Programme by the ACC.
China has been barred from participating in the International Space Station since 2011, when the US prohibited Nasa from collaborating with Chinese space agencies.
Since then, Beijing has sought to build partnerships with other countries — including Pakistan — in its expanding space programme.
With input from Agencies
Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026
