Pakistani Astronaut Set to Fly to China's Station
The 2026 Shenzhou-24 mission would make Pakistan's astronaut the first foreign national aboard China's station, with no launch date yet set.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Space
China's manned space agency announced that a Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 crew in 2026 for a short-term stay in orbit, returning to Earth aboard Shenzhou-23. The mission is announced, not yet launched: the launch date and the astronaut's identity have not been disclosed.
Why it matters
The mission would make the Pakistani astronaut the first foreign national to visit China's space station and the first joint spaceflight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in China's crewed programme. It follows a China-Pakistan space agreement signed in February 2025 and sits within Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative cooperation in space.
The announcement is a crew-assignment statement, so it carries no spacecraft performance specifications. The mission will use the Shenzhou-23 and Shenzhou-24 spacecraft, and the astronaut will serve as a payload specialist during a short-duration stay.
The players
China Manned Space Agency
China's state agency responsible for the country's crewed spaceflight programme, including the Shenzhou missions and the Tiangong space station.
Muhammad Zeeshan Ali
One of two Pakistani astronaut candidates training in China for a short-duration mission to the Chinese space station.
Khurram Daud
The second Pakistani astronaut candidate training in China, one of whom is expected to be selected for the Shenzhou-24 mission.
The details
The Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 crew as a payload specialist, a role focused on carrying out experiments rather than piloting the spacecraft. The astronaut will return to Earth aboard Shenzhou-23, the Chinese crewed capsule that brings crews home from the Tiangong space station. Candidates trained at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre in Beijing, covering hands-on operational skills and intensive Chinese-language instruction.
Timeline
February 2025: China and Pakistan signed the agreement covering the mission.
Earlier in 2026: Two Pakistani candidates began training in China.
2026: The Pakistani astronaut is scheduled to join the Shenzhou-24 crew, with no launch date announced.
The Tech Race
The mission would make China the first country to fly a foreign national on its own station, positioning Beijing against NASA and India, which has set its own crewed-lunar targets for 2040. Pakistan's stated goal of a Moon landing by 2035 and a Pakistani-built lunar rover on China's Chang'e-8 mission, expected around 2028, extend the cooperation into lunar hardware.
The mission is announced rather than launched, so no access or availability changes for the public. Its direct effect is limited to the astronaut's flight and to the research the Shenzhou-24 crew will carry out on Tiangong.
The takeaway
Watch for the China Manned Space Agency to name the selected astronaut and fix a Shenzhou-24 launch date, which would confirm whether the 2026 timeline holds. The two training candidates' selection outcome will show how quickly the Pakistan-China crewed partnership moves toward flight.
What happens next
The China Manned Space Agency is expected to announce the selected astronaut and the Shenzhou-24 launch date, though no definite date has been given.
Further reading
For the broader context of crewed missions and lunar ambitions, explore our Space coverage.
