China announces sending Pakistani astronaut on short-term space mission

Islamabad  (Web Desk): China’s Human Space Agency has announced that two Pakistani astronauts will undergo joint training with Chinese cosmonauts, with one of them selected for a short-term mission aboard China’s Tianhe Space Station.

According to China’s official news agency, Xinhua, the Pakistani astronauts will be chosen as payload specialists and participate in a short-duration space mission. The agreement was finalized earlier this year in February, and the process of selecting the Pakistani astronauts will be completed by 2026. This collaboration aims to strengthen scientific and technical cooperation between the two nations.

Tianhe, meaning “Heavenly Harmony,” is China’s primary space station, and during the mission, various scientific experiments will be conducted, including studies in biological and medical sciences, aerospace, physics, fluid mechanics, space radiation, materials science, microgravity, and astronomy.

This partnership between Pakistan’s space agency SUPARCO and China’s Human Space Agency reflects the deepening ties between the two countries. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his statement about the agreement, stated, “Pakistan’s inclusion in China’s space station program symbolizes the deep relations between the two countries and will play a key role in advancing mutual scientific cooperation and peaceful space exploration.”

Space cooperation between Pakistan and China has grown in recent years, with several Pakistani satellites being launched from China’s spaceports. However, Pakistan’s satellites have so far been limited to low Earth orbit, and China’s collaboration is expected to give a fresh impetus to Pakistan’s space development.

According to SUPARCO, “The participation of Pakistani astronauts in China’s space missions will further propel Pakistan’s space progress in scientific and technical fields.”