Pakistani astronaut to become first foreign visitor to China’s space station

The astronaut will take part in a short-duration stay aboard the space station before returning to Earth on the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft.

The mission will mark the first time Chinese and foreign astronauts have flown together as part of China’s human spaceflight program.

Cooperation between China and Pakistan on the mission began in February 2025, when the two countries signed an agreement in Islamabad covering astronaut selection, training and participation in missions to the Chinese space station. The agreement formally launched the selection process in Pakistan.

Following a rigorous three-stage selection and assessment process, two Pakistani reserve astronauts were chosen. After completing training in China and successfully passing the required evaluations, one will join the crew as a mission specialist, while the other will serve as a backup.

Earlier, Qazinform reported SpaceX plans to attempt to catch both its Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft during its upcoming test flight, marking a potential milestone in the development of fully reusable rockets.