Pakistan will be sending its first astronaut to Tiangong space station from China. This comes after signing of the agreement on cooperation between China’s space agency (CMSA) and Pakistan’s Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). It will be the first time China will be sending an astronaut from another nation and paving the way for increased cooperation in the space sector.
Read Also: Pakistan, UAE Ink Five Agreements to Boost Bilateral Relations
The accord, signed in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, will give rights to Pakistan to choose and train an astronaut within a year. The Pakistani astronaut who has been trained will join Chinese taikonauts on short-term missions to the Tiangong space station and contribute to scientific experiments and research on this advanced space laboratory.
Pakistani astronaut likely to become first global visitor to China's space station！🇨🇳🇵🇰
— Wu Lei (@wulei2020) February 28, 2025
China and Pakistan signed at a ceremony in Islamabad on Friday, to select and train Pakistani astronauts and send some of them to China's Tiangong space station 🌍
Welcome! pic.twitter.com/8pJk7nng1k
This is all in China’s broader plan to empower developing countries to venture into space. It shows China’s intent to share its space technology and resources, giving Pakistan an opportunity to venture into space with the larger spacefaring nations.
This historical mission not only indicates the potency of China-Pakistan collaboration in space but also China’s enhanced role in opening up space exploration to the whole world and even to burgeoning space nations. This trend would potentially encourage even more nations to participate in China’s space efforts in the days to come.
