Two Pakistani astronauts will undergo joint training with their Chinese colleagues. In the future, one of them will make a short-term flight to the Tiangong orbital station. This was reported by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
According to CMSA representative Zhang Jingbo, the selection of Pakistani candidates officially began after the signing of a cooperation agreement between the countries in February. It is divided into three stages: preliminary selection, which is currently being conducted in Pakistan, and the second round and final, which will be held in China.
Preparations for the second round of selection are already in progress. This includes developing training programs, preparing training materials and equipment, and providing logistical support.
After the final selection process is complete, two Pakistani astronauts will undergo training alongside their Chinese colleagues. One of them will then be selected to participate in a short-term mission to visit the Tiangong space station as a payload specialist. During the flight, he will conduct a series of scientific experiments for Pakistan and perform routine crew duties.
At this point, it is unknown when exactly the Pakistani astronaut’s flight will take place. He will be the first foreigner in history to visit the Tiangong space station.
In recent years, China has been paying a lot of attention to getting other countries to work with them on space stuff. Part of this is the International Lunar Research Station project, which is seen as a counterpoint to the US Artemis Accords. So far, 13 countries have signed up.
Earlier, we reported on how China would help Pakistan land a rover on the Moon.
