Amjad Ali, deputy director general of SUPARCO, Pakistan's national space agency Photo: Deng Xiaoci/GT

 
China and Pakistan in February signed a cooperation agreement on spaceflight of a Pakistani astronaut on China Space Station, the first time for a foreign astronaut, marking a new chapter of China-Pakistan aerospace cooperation. Updating on the process, Amjad Ali, deputy director general of SUPARCO, Pakistan's national space agency, revealed to the Global Times that they have started preliminary selection in Pakistan and they will select about 10 to 15 candidates.

"We will select about 10 to 15 candidates. And then they will be further shortlisted to two before they undergo through trainings in China for six months to a year. After the training there will be one candidate to fly into space," Ali told the Global Times on the sideline of the International Conference on Developers of the International Lunar Research Station, a seminar held in Shanghai on Wednesday, as part of the national celebration of the 10th Space Day of China that falls on Thursday. 

It will be China's first foreign astronaut and Pakistan's first astronaut, so it is a big event for both sides, Ali hailed. 

Earlier on Wednesday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced that China will select and train two Pakistani astronauts for space missions, with one slated to serve as a payload specialist on a future Chinese space station flight, Xinhua reported. 

Lin Xiqiang, a CMSA spokesperson addressed a Wednesday press conference that the selected Pakistani astronaut will conduct scientific experiments designed by Pakistan while performing regular crew responsibilities when in orbit. 

The selection process for Pakistani astronauts is underway following the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement in late February, Lin said.

The selection involves a three-round procedure that includes a preliminary selection phase in Pakistan, and secondary and final selection phases in China, Lin said.

Lin noted that China is currently engaged in discussions with other nations regarding potential foreign astronaut participation in the country's future space station missions.

China has announced that its first astronauts from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, selected as payload specialists, are on track to make their inaugural spaceflight as early as 2026, Lin said at the conference.