First foreign astronaut on China’s Tiangong station will be from Pak

The Pakistani astronaut will fly as a payload specialist on Shenzhou-24 and spend a short period aboard China’s Tiangong space station. The article does not list specific experiments or tasks, but the role indicates participation in station payload activities rather than command of the mission. The flight matters because it expands China’s crewed programme beyond Chinese nationals.

The astronaut will be chosen from Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, both trained in China for months. One will fly, while the other remains a backup. After the station stay, the Pakistani astronaut is expected to return aboard Shenzhou-23, which docked with Tiangong in May 2026.

This will be the first joint crewed flight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in China’s human-spaceflight history. It also gives Pakistan its first human-spaceflight participation. For China, the mission demonstrates that Tiangong can support international crewed partnerships as the ISS approaches retirement.

Tiangong is China’s independently developed human space station, completed in 2022. It provides a place for astronauts to live, operate equipment and conduct activities in orbit. Its importance is growing because China wants the station to become an international platform, especially as the International Space Station approaches retirement.

A payload specialist is an astronaut assigned mainly to a mission’s payload, such as an experiment or other equipment carried into space. In this mission, the Pakistani astronaut is designated a payload specialist. The article does not specify the exact payloads, experiments or duties involved, so those details remain unannounced.

The role gives Pakistan a place in China’s crewed space programme without creating an independent Pakistani space station or launch system. It also lets China demonstrate that Tiangong can host foreign crew members. That experience may help Beijing attract other countries seeking orbital access, scientific work and operational training.

Two Pakistani candidates were prepared for the mission: Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud. Both underwent months of training in China alongside Chinese counterparts. They were shortlisted after completing a three-stage assessment under the China-Pakistan cooperation process.

The final selection is a one-flight, one-backup arrangement. China and Pakistan have not publicly identified which candidate will fly. The selected astronaut will join Shenzhou-24 as a payload specialist, while the other candidate will remain available as the backup. The article also says that no launch date has been specified.

This approach gives the mission a trained replacement while preserving both candidates’ participation in the preparation process. It also reflects how the two countries organized the first Pakistani human-spaceflight opportunity. The final choice will determine which candidate becomes Pakistan’s first astronaut to take part in a crewed space mission.

China and Pakistan made the mission possible through an agreement signed in February 2025. It covered astronaut selection, training and participation in Chinese space-station missions. This framework turned a diplomatic partnership into a specific plan for a joint crewed flight.

The candidates were selected through three assessment stages. Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud were then sent to China for months of training with Chinese counterparts. One candidate will become the flight astronaut, and the other will serve as backup. China’s manned-space agency announced the decision on November 7 but did not name the final candidate or give a launch date.

The preparation links policy, training and mission operations. Pakistan supplies candidates and gains access to China’s programme, while China integrates a foreign participant into its crewed activities. The arrangement is an early test of whether China can organize repeatable international missions through formal partnerships rather than a one-off invitation.

For Pakistan, the mission marks entry into human spaceflight. A Pakistani astronaut will gain direct experience in a crewed orbital programme, but the article stresses that a few days aboard Tiangong will not create an independent Pakistani capability. Pakistan will instead participate through China’s station, training system and spacecraft.

For China, the mission is a practical demonstration that Tiangong can host international crewed missions. The astronaut will fly on Shenzhou-24, stay briefly aboard the station and return on Shenzhou-23. China has also worked with other countries on space exploration, including lunar missions, and is offering opportunities for international participation.

The wider goal is influence as well as engineering. With the ISS nearing retirement, Beijing wants Tiangong to attract countries seeking experiments, human-spaceflight access and orbital experience. The Pakistan mission is an early proof of that model, giving China another partner while positioning the station within future international space cooperation.

The International Space Station is described as the world’s only mature, multilateral space station, but it is approaching the end of its operational life. Countries that want human-spaceflight access, scientific experiments or experience working in orbit may therefore look for another platform. Tiangong could fill part of that gap.

China completed Tiangong in 2022 and developed it independently after being excluded from the ISS partnership. Its agreement with Pakistan provides a concrete example of a country gaining access through astronaut selection, training and a crewed station mission. China is also pursuing international participation in other space activities, including lunar missions.

Tiangong’s future role will depend on more than being operational. China must attract partners and establish confidence in its cooperation framework. The Pakistani flight is an early demonstration, not proof that Tiangong will replace the ISS. Still, the station could become an important alternative as countries seek practical access to human spaceflight.

Space stations create places where countries can gain experience, conduct experiments and build long-term cooperation. Astronaut partnerships extend that cooperation beyond hardware. Shared rules matter because future activities will involve technology standards, resource use and decisions about how governments operate beyond Earth.

The article contrasts two emerging frameworks. India signed the US-led Artemis Accords in June 2023, while China and Russia are pursuing the International Lunar Research Station framework. These initiatives could influence technological standards, resource-use principles and governance. The Pakistani mission gives China another partner as it develops its own international network.

This creates a competition over influence, not simply launch vehicles or spacecraft. India is pursuing Gaganyaan, the Bhartiya Antriksh Station and a crewed Moon landing, while trying to work with different space powers without losing strategic autonomy. Countries that combine indigenous capability with partnerships may have a stronger voice in shaping future exploration.