Two Pakistani Astronauts Selected to Train for China Space Station Missions
Two Pakistani candidates have been selected to become the first international astronauts to train for China Space Station missions, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on April 22, 2026, with one of them likely to become the first Pakistani to enter orbit.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the agency confirmed that candidates Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud have successfully passed several rounds of selection procedures and will soon come to China to participate in the spaceflight training process as reserve astronauts.
The CMSA said that after completing various training programs and passing rigorous assessments, one of the Pakistani candidates will participate in a future spaceflight mission as a payload specialist, becoming the first foreign astronaut to enter the Chinese space station.
The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) signed a cooperation agreement on the spaceflight of Pakistani astronaut to the Chinese space station in February 2025.
Under the agreement, the Chinese government will select and train a group of Pakistani astronauts, and one of them will be the first foreign astronaut to enter the Chinese space station.
In the presence of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the agreement was signed by Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) and Muhammad Yousuf Khan, chairman of the Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) at the Prime Minister's House.
The official selection of the astronauts from Pakistan marks a milestone in the history of China's space program and a landmark achievement in international cooperation for the China Space Station.
The CMSA also said it is a successful example of the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership taking shape in the space sector. This also fully demonstrates the Chinese government's open attitude toward sharing the fruits of space development with the international community.
The peaceful use of outer space for the benefit of all humanity has always been China's core mission and the purpose behind the vigorous development of the country's space endeavors, the CMSA said.
China's crewed space program will always keep its doors open, welcoming countries around the world to actively participate in cooperation in fields such as scientific experiments, technical tests, and astronaut selection and training in the China Space Station in order to expand human understanding of the universe and contribute wisdom and strength to the building of a community with a shared future for humankind, the CMSA statement added.
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the fifth-most populous country with a population of over 240 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. Pakistan is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the south, the Gulf of Oman on the southwest, and the Sir Creek on the southeast, it shares land borders with India to the east; Afghanistan to the west; Iran to the southwest; and China to the northeast. It shares a maritime border with Oman in the Gulf of Oman, and is separated from Tajikistan in the northwest by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor.
Duration: 24 seconds
Release Date: April 23, 2026
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