The two selected Pakistani astronaut candidates, Khurram Daud (left) and Muhammad Zeeshan Ali for China's manned spaceflight program. Photo: screenshot from official Facebook account of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of Pakistan.

The selection of the first group of foreign astronauts for the China's manned spaceflight program was completed with two candidates from Pakistan selected, according to an official release from the official WeChat account of China Manned Space on Wednesday. 

The two selected Pakistani candidates, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, will soon travel to China to undergo training as backup astronauts. Upon completing all required training and passing assessments, one of them will participate in a spaceflight mission as a payload specialist, becoming the first foreign astronaut to enter China's space station, according to the release. 

According to an earlier report from the Xinhua News Agency in February 2025, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) signed a cooperation agreement on the spaceflight of Pakistani astronaut to the Chinese space station. 

Under the agreement, the Chinese government will select and train a group of Pakistani astronauts, and one of them will be the first foreign astronaut to enter the Chinese space station, per Xinhua report. 

The release indicated that the final selection of the two Pakistani backup astronauts went through three stages of rigorous screening and evaluation including preliminary selection, secondary selection, and final selection. 

Pakistani media outlet Geo News said on Wednesday that Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said the cooperation is anchored in the bilateral Astronaut Cooperation Agreement signed in February 2025, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The agreement reflects the prime minister's vision and support, which were instrumental in enabling Pakistan's participation in human spaceflight.

The selection and training of astronauts for Pakistan mark a milestone in China's space history, the release underscored. It represents a landmark achievement in international cooperation on China's space station and serves as another successful example of the implementation of the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership in the space sector, demonstrating China's openness to sharing the fruits of its space development with the international community, China Manned Space's release said. 

The ISPR had described the development as a landmark achievement for Pakistan's space ambitions and a testament to growing bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and China in advanced scientific and technological domains, per Geo News. 

The peaceful use of outer space for the benefit of all humanity has always been the original aspiration and mission driving China's space endeavors, the release said, adding that China's human spaceflight program will continue to keep its doors open, welcoming active participation from all countries in scientific experiments, technological testing, and astronaut selection and training related to China's space station, jointly expanding humanity's understanding of the universe and contributing wisdom and strength to building a global community with a shared future. 


Global Times