The astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 mission as a payload specialist for a short orbital flight.
A Pakistani astronaut will become the first foreigner to visit China's Tiangong space station, according to reports from Hindustan Times, Telegraph India and WION. The astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 crewed mission as a payload specialist, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday.
The mission is anticipated to occur before the end of this year, though a specific departure date was not provided. The astronaut will complete a brief orbital flight and return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, which docked at the station in May.
This mission follows a February 2025 agreement between Pakistan and China regarding astronaut selection, training, and participation in space station missions. Under this deal, Pakistani astronauts will conduct short-term missions with Chinese counterparts over the next few years.
While the CMSA has not named the specific crew member, it noted in April that astronauts Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud were selected for training in China. One astronaut will participate in the flight while the other serves as a backup.
China has invested heavily in its space programme and aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030.
