KARACHI: Two Pakistani pilots are undergoing intensive training in China as Islamabad moves closer to sending its first astronaut into space aboard the country’s Tiangong space station, deepening a partnership with Beijing that has expanded from satellite launches to human spaceflight.
Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud have spent months training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre in Beijing, learning Mandarin, spacecraft systems and techniques for coping with the physical demands of spaceflight, according to Amer Gilani, who oversees human spaceflight cooperation at Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).
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China has yet to announce which of the two pilots will fly. Gilani told Reuters that a final decision is expected in mid-to-late October.
The selected astronaut will become Pakistan’s first person in space and, according to the plans, the first foreign astronaut to travel aboard the Chinese space station. The astronaut will serve as a payload specialist, conducting scientific experiments rather than operating the spacecraft.
The mission stems from cooperation between Pakistan and China that was conceived in 2019. In February 2025, SUPARCO and the China Manned Space Agency signed an agreement under which two Pakistani astronauts would receive training in China, with one eventually selected for a mission to Tiangong.
The two countries reaffirmed the programme in a joint statement in May 2026, saying China welcomed two Pakistani astronauts for training and looked forward to a Pakistani astronaut becoming the first foreign astronaut to enter the China Space Station.
The mission will carry a relatively small scientific payload selected from more than 300 proposals submitted by Pakistani universities. Chinese institutes selected four experiments involving biotechnology and research aimed at addressing food insecurity and climate-related challenges, according to SUPARCO officials cited by Reuters.
The Pakistani astronaut is expected to spend about a week aboard Tiangong, considerably shorter than the roughly six-month missions typically undertaken by Chinese astronauts.
The mission also illustrates Pakistan’s dependence on China for access to human spaceflight. Pakistan does not have its own crewed spacecraft or launch vehicle, meaning the astronaut will fly on a Chinese spacecraft from a Chinese launch site and train under Chinese instructors.
For Beijing, the cooperation forms part of a broader effort to expand international participation in its space programme. China has increasingly used its space capabilities for scientific cooperation with partner countries while developing the Tiangong station as an alternative platform for research in low-Earth orbit.
For Pakistan, the mission represents a significant step in a space programme that has historically focused on satellites and applications such as communications, remote sensing and earth observation.
The partnership extends beyond the astronaut programme. China has launched Pakistani satellites, while the two countries are developing cooperation in satellite navigation and other space technologies. A Pakistani-built lunar rover is also planned for China’s Chang’e 8 lunar mission, expected around 2028, according to SUPARCO officials cited by Reuters.
SUPARCO, Pakistan’s national space agency, was established in 1961. The agency says the astronaut programme is intended not only to send a Pakistani to space but also to develop expertise in scientific research, technology and human spaceflight.
The mission comes as China seeks to expand its role in space exploration while the United States and China increasingly compete over space technology and capabilities. Reuters has reported that both countries are developing increasingly sophisticated spacecraft and satellite systems as space becomes more strategically important.
For Pakistan, however, the immediate goal is more straightforward: selecting one of two pilots to make history and carry the country’s first scientific experiments into orbit.
Gilani said there was no official commitment for a Pakistani astronaut to travel to the Moon under the current partnership, with future opportunities dependent on the outcome of the maiden mission, according to Reuters.