In brief
A Pakistani astronaut has been chosen as a payload specialist for China's Shenzhou‑24 mission, becoming the first foreign national to visit the Chinese space station. Trained in Beijing, the astronaut will accompany the launch expected by the end of 2026, while Pakistan also deploys its lunar rover Jinnah‑1. The move underscores China‑Pakistan cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and highlights broader competition in space exploration.
A Pakistani astronaut has been selected by China’s National Space Administration as a payload specialist for the Shenzhou‑24 mission, scheduled for launch by the end of 2026.
According to Beijing’s state media, the unnamed astronaut will be the first foreign national to visit China’s space station. The selection follows a training partnership under the Belt and Road Initiative, in which Pakistani pilots Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud spent months at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center in Beijing.
Meanwhile, China will deploy Pakistan’s first lunar rover, Jinnah‑1, which weighs 35 kg and carries scientific equipment to study plasma, radiation and lunar soil. The rover launch will be part of the same program that trains Pakistani astronauts for the mission.
China, Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a key foreign investor, has been expanding its space program to catch up with the United States. The Shenzhou‑24 flight will include a short‑term in‑orbit stay before the crew returns on the Shenzhou‑23 spacecraft.
The partnership marks a deepening of China‑Pakistan ties, not only in trade and infrastructure but also in cutting‑edge technology. It comes as the United States and Russia are also working on lunar nuclear reactors, with NASA planning a reactor by the end of 2030 and Russia partnering with China for a 2036 goal.
Although the mission’s departure date is not yet publicly announced, the Shenzhou‑24 flight is expected to launch later this year, making the Pakistani astronaut the first foreign national to step aboard Beijing’s space station.
