A Pakistani astronaut will fly aboard China's Shenzhou-24 spacecraft and become the first foreign national ever to visit the Tiangong space station, China's Manned Space Agency announced on Saturday, November 7, 2026. The Pakistani astronaut will serve as a payload specialist on the Shenzhou-24 mission, a short orbital flight that will end with a return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, in the first joint flight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China's human spaceflight programme.

China has not named the astronaut who will fly, and it has not given a launch date, although the mission is expected to take place by the end of 2026. The two candidates are Pakistani pilots Muhammad Zeeshan Ali of the Pakistan Air Force and Khurram Daud of the Pakistan Navy, who have spent months training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center in Beijing. One will fly and the other will serve as backup.

Key Points

• China's Manned Space Agency announced on Saturday, November 7, 2026, that a Pakistani astronaut will fly as a payload specialist aboard the Shenzhou-24 spacecraft.
• The astronaut will become the first foreign national to visit China's Tiangong space station, and the flight will be the first joint mission involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in China's human spaceflight history.
• The two candidates are Pakistani pilots Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, who have trained for months in Beijing; one will fly and the other will act as backup.
• The astronaut will carry out four biotechnology experiments chosen from more than 300 proposals from Pakistani universities during a stay of about one week.
• After the short stay in orbit, the astronaut will return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, and China will also deploy Jinnah-1, Pakistan's first lunar rover.

What Happened

China's Manned Space Agency confirmed the selection on Saturday, November 7, 2026, in an announcement reported by Chinese state media and the official Xinhua news agency. The Pakistani astronaut will travel to the Tiangong space station aboard Shenzhou-24 as a payload specialist, a role focused on carrying out scientific work rather than piloting the spacecraft.

According to the agency, the astronaut will spend about a week in orbit, conducting four biotechnology experiments selected from more than 300 proposals submitted by Pakistani universities. Once the stay is complete, he will return to Earth aboard Shenzhou-23, the spacecraft already docked at the station, which launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China on May 24, 2026.

Background and Context

The flight is the product of an astronaut agreement signed by China and Pakistan in February 2025, under the two countries' wider Belt and Road cooperation. The agreement set up a Chinese government-led programme to train Pakistani astronauts, and the two candidates began working alongside their Chinese counterparts earlier this year.

Their training has been demanding. Alongside practical operational exercises, the programme has included intensive Chinese language instruction, so the visitor can work smoothly with the Chinese crew aboard the station. Tiangong, whose name means "Heavenly Palace", has been continuously occupied by Chinese crews since it was completed in 2022, and until now every astronaut to visit it has been Chinese.

Pakistani Astronaut Shenzhou-24: What the Mission Will Do

The core of the Pakistani astronaut's week in orbit is science. The four biotechnology experiments he will run were chosen from more than 300 proposals submitted by Pakistani universities, showing the interest the mission has generated among researchers back home. The experiments will use Tiangong's weightless environment, where biological processes behave differently than under gravity on Earth.

As a payload specialist, the astronaut's job is to operate the experiments, monitor their progress and record results for the teams on the ground. The mission also carries a second piece of Pakistani hardware: the China National Space Administration will deploy Jinnah-1, Pakistan's first lunar rover, which weighs 35 kilograms and is tasked with analysing plasma behaviour, radiation and the composition of lunar soil.

Reactions and Statements

China's official reporting framed the flight as a historic first. Xinhua reported that the mission would mark "the first joint flight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China's manned space program", a line that captures how Beijing wants the mission to be understood: not as a favour to an ally, but as a milestone for its own space programme.

For Pakistan, the flight is a source of national pride and a practical step forward, with the experiments chosen from more than 300 university proposals. The two candidates have kept a low profile, and the flyer's identity is expected to be announced closer to launch.

Why It Matters

This flight matters first because it breaks new ground for China's space station. Tiangong has been a Chinese-only outpost since it opened, and the arrival of a foreign astronaut turns it into a genuinely international station for the first time. It gives the wider world a second orbital destination for international crews alongside the International Space Station.

It also matters geopolitically. The mission is a visible demonstration of the China-Pakistan partnership at a moment when space has become a central arena of great-power competition. The United States is aiming to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028, and China aims to follow by 2030. A joint crewed flight shows China is building its own coalition of space partners, with Pakistan as the first to fly.

What Happens Next

The next step is the announcement of the astronaut's name and the launch date, both expected soon, with the launch likely from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Once Shenzhou-24 docks with Tiangong, the Pakistani astronaut will begin the week-long programme of experiments, then transfer to Shenzhou-23 for the return to Earth. Attention will then turn to Jinnah-1, and to whether this flight becomes the start of a regular programme.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Pakistani astronaut flying to the Tiangong space station?
China has not yet named the astronaut. The two candidates are Pakistani pilots Muhammad Zeeshan Ali of the Pakistan Air Force and Khurram Daud of the Pakistan Navy.

When will the Shenzhou-24 mission launch?
No launch date has been announced, but the mission is expected to take place by the end of 2026, with a stay of about a week aboard Tiangong.

Why is this mission historic?
The Pakistani astronaut will be the first foreign national to visit Tiangong, and the flight will be the first joint mission of Chinese and foreign astronauts in China's human spaceflight history.

What experiments will the astronaut carry out?
Four biotechnology experiments, selected from more than 300 proposals from Pakistani universities, will be conducted during the roughly one-week stay aboard Tiangong.

What is Jinnah-1?
Jinnah-1 is Pakistan's first lunar rover, weighing 35 kilograms. It will be deployed by the China National Space Administration to analyse plasma behaviour, radiation and the composition of lunar soil.