Pakistan astronaut to join China's Shenzhou-24 mission
China will welcome the first foreign astronaut to its space station under the Shenzhou-24 mission, with a Pakistani payload specialist set to fly and return aboard Shenzhou-23. The joint flight follows a 2025 China-Pakistan agreement and marks a historic milestone in China's crewed space programme.
China's space station is set to receive its first foreign astronaut, the China Manned Space Engineering Office announced on 7 November 2026. Under the Shenzhou-24 crewed mission, a Pakistani astronaut will participate as a payload specialist, completing a short-term orbital stay before returning to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft. The flight will mark the first joint mission between Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China's human spaceflight programme.
The cooperation stems from an agreement signed by China and Pakistan in February 2025, which formally launched the selection process for Pakistani astronauts. After three rounds of rigorous screening – preliminary, secondary and final selection – two Pakistani astronaut candidates were chosen. Both have completed training in China and passed all assessments, with one designated to execute the crewed mission and the other serving as a backup.
The Shenzhou-24 mission represents a significant step in international collaboration aboard China's Tiangong space station, opening the door for more foreign astronauts to visit in the future. The Pakistani payload specialist will work alongside Chinese crew members during the mission, though specific scientific or experimental tasks have not been detailed in the announcement.
China's crewed space programme has steadily expanded its international partnerships, with the Pakistan flight being the first concrete example of foreign astronauts training and flying under China's auspices. The development underscores Beijing's ambition to position Tiangong as a platform for global space cooperation.