News Desk
The News Desk provides timely and factual coverage of national and international events, with an emphasis on accuracy and clarity.
This 3D illustration shows China's Tiangong space station orbiting Earth, where Pakistan's space agency SUPARCO will send Pakistani astronauts.
Shutterstock
A Pakistani astronaut will join China’s Shenzhou-24 mission to the Tiangong space station this year, Chinese state media reported on Saturday. CCTV, citing the China Manned Space Agency, said the astronaut will fly as a payload specialist.
It would be the first time a foreign visitor boards the station.
Is a Pakistani astronaut going to China’s space station?
Yes, according to Chinese state media. CCTV said a Pakistani astronaut will take part in the Shenzhou-24 mission as a payload specialist, under bilateral cooperation within Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. China has not named the astronaut or announced a launch date.
The broadcaster said the astronaut will complete a short stay in orbit. The astronaut will then return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft.
Who are the Pakistani astronauts training in China?
In September, an official from Pakistan’s space agency told Reuters that two pilots, Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, had spent months training for such a mission. They trained at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center in Beijing. The reports do not make clear which of them, if either, has been selected.
Why is the Shenzhou-24 mission significant?
CCTV described the flight as the first joint spaceflight involving both Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China’s manned space program. It framed the mission as part of Beijing’s space diplomacy.
Comments
See what people are discussing