Pakistan to send its 1st astronaut to China's Tiangong space station
Big news: a Pakistani astronaut is about to make history as the first international visitor to China's Tiangong space station.
This milestone comes from a 2025 agreement between China and Pakistan, with two Pakistani candidates being selected for training—one will be picked as a payload expert for a short-duration flight mission, during which scientific experiments for Pakistan will be conducted.
Selection process and mission details
The selection process starts in Pakistan and wraps up in China, where the chosen astronaut will join Chinese crew members on a Shenzhou spacecraft.
They'll spend several days on Tiangong doing experiments and daily tasks before heading back with part of the current crew.
This mission highlights growing space teamwork between the two countries—Pakistan is also partnering with China on an upcoming lunar research station planned for the 2030s.