China confirms a Pakistani astronaut will join a future Tiangong mission, marking the first international participation in the country’s space program.
China has announced that a Pakistani astronaut will soon take part in a short-duration mission to the Tiangong space station, making history as the first international visitor to the Chinese orbital outpost.
According to Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson for the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), two Pakistani astronauts are currently undergoing training alongside Chinese counterparts. One of them will be selected to join a future Shenzhou mission as a payload expert, responsible for conducting scientific experiments for Pakistan in space.
The announcement came ahead of the Shenzhou 21 crewed launch from Jiuquan spaceport, which sent three Chinese astronauts — Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang — to Tiangong for a six-month stay.
The China–Pakistan astronaut cooperation agreement, signed in February 2025, outlines a phased selection and training process. Preliminary screening is being conducted in Pakistan, while final rounds will take place in China.
Although CMSA has not specified which flight will carry the Pakistani astronaut, analysts expect the mission to occur within the next year, possibly on Shenzhou 22 or Shenzhou 23. The astronaut will join two Chinese crewmates, stay aboard Tiangong for several days, and return to Earth with part of the outgoing crew.
The Tiangong space station, completed in 2022, is a three-module orbital facility designed to remain operational for at least a decade. It symbolizes China’s growing ambitions in space exploration and global scientific collaboration.
Pakistan also collaborates with China on the upcoming International Lunar Research Station, planned for construction in the 2030s — a project that could see deeper cooperation between both nations in space science and technology.
