https://arab.news/ywz8b
- Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud will travel to China as reserve astronauts for training, reports Xinhua News
- Says after training, one of the Pakistani candidates will become the first foreign astronaut on China’s Tiangong space station
ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani candidates have been selected as the first foreign astronauts for an upcoming space mission training by China, the state-run Xinhua News reported on Wednesday.
Xinhua News cited the China Manned Space Agency as saying that Pakistani candidates Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud will travel to China as reserve astronauts for the training.
Pakistan military’s media wing said in February that two Pakistani astronauts had successfully completed advanced medical, psychological and aptitude assessments in China for a human spaceflight mission.
“After completing all training and evaluations, one of them will participate in a space mission as a payload specialist, becoming the first foreign astronaut onboard the Tiangong space station,” Xinhua reported.
The development takes place after the signing of the Astronaut Cooperation Agreement between Pakistan and China in February last year, which aimed to enable Pakistan’s participation in space-based activities.
This signals Pakistan’s broader push to enter human spaceflight through cooperation with China, as Beijing expands international participation in its Tiangong space station amid growing competition in space exploration.
Pakistan and China have also worked together in the past on satellite launches and lunar exploration projects.