Two Pakistani pilots, Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, are undergoing astronaut training in China for a mission to the Tiangong space station in September 2026. One of them will become Pakistan’s first astronaut and the first foreign national to travel aboard China’s Tiangong space station.
Tiangong Space Station
Tiangong is China’s modular space station in low Earth orbit. The station is operated by the China Manned Space Agency and serves as a platform for long-duration human spaceflight, microgravity research, and orbital experiments.
Pakistan-China Human Spaceflight Cooperation
The mission was first conceived through Pakistan-China cooperation in 2019. The selected astronaut will fly as a payload specialist, a role that focuses on scientific work rather than spacecraft piloting. The mission is expected to last about one week.
Training and Mission Profile
The astronaut training programme at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre in Beijing includes Mandarin language instruction, spacecraft systems, microgravity procedures, and centrifuge exercises. A final selection decision is expected in mid-to-late October 2026.
SUPARCO has confirmed that the Pakistani astronaut will conduct four biotechnology experiments during the mission. The experiments are linked to food security and climate change research.
Important Facts for Exams
- Tiangong is China’s permanent space station in low Earth orbit.
- A payload specialist is a crew member assigned to scientific experiments and mission-specific tasks.
- Pakistan does not have an independent crewed spacecraft or launch vehicle for this mission.
- Namira Salim became the first Pakistani woman to complete a suborbital space journey in October 2023 with Virgin Galactic.
Related Space Cooperation Projects
The human spaceflight forms part of wider Beijing-Islamabad space cooperation that includes joint satellite projects. Pakistan is also building a lunar rover for China’s Chang’e 8 mission, which is planned around 2028.
Pakistan’s Spaceflight Milestones
This mission will mark Pakistan’s entry into crewed orbital spaceflight. It will also place a Pakistani astronaut on a Chinese space station for scientific research in microgravity.
