Pakistan Space Related News & Discussions

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...(continue)... After final training and evaluation, one of them will join in the space mission as a payload specialist, becoming the first foreign astronaut onboard the Tiangong space station.

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Meet Pakistan’s astronauts that are going to be living in space later this year:

Pakistan’s space agency, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) announces a landmark advancement in Pakistan’s Manned Space Mission Program as two Astronaut Candidates, Khurram Daud and Muhammad Zeeshan Ali are set to depart for the People’s Republic of China to begin advanced astronaut training at the Astronaut Centre of China (ACC).

This is a significant step forward in Pakistan’s space exploration journey that positions the country in the community of a select group of nations actively engaged in human spaceflight programs.

Under this collaboration, Pakistan is preparing for its first-ever participation in a mission to the China Space Station (CSS).

The mission is currently planned for launch in late 2026, where a Pakistani astronaut will serve as a Payload Expert aboard the Shenzhen mission.

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2 Pakistani astronauts selected as candidates for China’s space programme​

ReutersNews Desk
April 22, 2026

China has selected two Pakistani astronauts as candidates for its manned space programme, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday.

Both will travel to China for training, and one will participate in a flight mission as a payload specialist and become the first foreign astronaut in China’s space station, CCTV said.

Meanwhile, China Daily reported on Wednesday that the astronauts were identified as Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud. The report said the two had passed multiple rounds of selection procedures and will soon come to China to take part in spaceflight training.

It quoted the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) as saying that the selection and training of Pakistani astronauts was a “landmark event in the history of China’s space industry”.

Separately, in a statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) said the astronauts were set to depart for China to “begin advanced astronaut training at the Astronaut Centre of China (ACC)”.

It stressed that the development was a “significant step forward in Pakistan’s space exploration journey that positions the country in the community of a select group of nations actively engaged in human spaceflight programs”.

As per Suparco, “under this collaboration, Pakistan is preparing for its first-ever participation in a mission to the China Space Station (CSS)”, which the space agency said is planned for launch in late 2026.

“During mission aboard the CSS, the Pakistani astronaut will conduct several scientific experiments in microgravity,” as per the statement.

It added that the experiments span “critical areas including material science, fluid physics, life/bio science, and biotechnology, with potential applications for climate resilience, food security, and industrial innovation”.

Suparco further stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had commended the efforts of the space agency, terming the development “a harbinger of deep space exploration”.

According to the statement, the premier noted that the partnership with China was “yet another testimony” of Pakistan-China friendship.
 
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Great to see. I do hope they do some useful science up there. There is a need to use this as a great PR opportunity, get our children interested in STEM and decrease the overall apathy about space.

As an aside, I'm very glad to see a Navy pilot as a potential "AS-CAN" astronaut candidate. A lot of US astronauts have been ex Navy.

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SkunkWorks said:
There is a need to use this as a great PR opportunity, get our children interested in STEM and decrease the overall apathy about space.
Click to expand...
Yep exactly, this is the most important part of it , I’d argue more than any science or experiments
show this to every student
I am in stem because I saw appollo 11 documentary when I was a kid .
Same has to happen here and hopefully in future a women also gets chosen even if she’s just a payload specialist

Also seeing how they are both pilots I am hopeful it is more than just a joy ride for politicians to show off . Hopefully start of a genuine space program
 

PM meets astronomers selected for China's space mission, hopes it will 'usher in era of space research'​

News Desk
April 23, 2026

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets Pakistani astronomers in Islamabad on April 23. — PMO

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday congratulated the two Pakistani astronomers selected for China’s manned space programme, expressing hope that the voyage will “usher in a new era of space research in Pakistan”.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that he met the two astronomers — Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud — at the Prime Minister’s House.

The premier congratulated the two astronomers, stating that the space mission was a “matter of pride for the entire nation”. He further commended their “round-the-clock efforts” in achieving the milestone.
 
PM Shehbaz hoped that the space mission would “add new dimensions to the brotherly relationship between Pakistan and China”.

Also present at the meeting was Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong. The premier, in conversation with him, welcomed the development.

The prime minister told the Chinese ambassador that Pakistan and China’s friendship was “ready to reach for the stars and touch the heights of the sky”.

“Performing research duties in space for Pakistan is a source of honour, a unique privilege, and a matter of pride,” the PMO cited the astronomers as saying, adding that the two hoped to “make every possible effort to live up to the nation’s hopes”.

A day earlier, China announced that it had selected two Pakistanis as candidates for its manned space programme.

Both will travel to China for training, and one of them will participate in a space flight mission as a payload specialist, according to CCTV, becoming the first foreign astronaut to board China’s space station.
 
China Daily reported that Zeeshan and Daud had passed multiple rounds of selection procedures and would soon visit China to take part in spaceflight training.

In February 2025, Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission and China Manned Space Agency signed a cooperation agreement. Under the pact, two Pakistanis were to train in China, with one joining a mission on the Tiangong space station operated by Beijing.

In February this year, two astronauts were shortlisted for Pakistan’s Human Spaceflight Programme by the Astronauts Centre of China.

China has been barred from participating in the International Space Station since 2011, when the US prohibited Nasa from collaborating with Chinese space agencies. Since then, Beijing has sought to build partnerships with other countries — including Pakistan — in its expanding space programme.
 

Two Pakistanis shortlisted for China astronaut corps​


Daud, Zeeshan Ali are set to depart for China to begin advanced astronaut training at Astronaut Centre of China (ACC)

Agencies
April 23, 2026

photo courtesy global times on x


PHOTO: COURTESY GLOBAL TIMES ON X

BEIJING: China has selected two Pakistani astronauts as candidates for its manned space programme, CCTV reported on Wednesday. The candidates are Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud.

Both will travel to China for training, and one will participate in a flight mission as a payload specialist and become the first foreign astronaut in China's space station, CCTV said.

"Upon completing all training courses and passing relevant assessments, one of them will be selected for a mission crew as a payload specialist to participate in a spaceflight, becoming the first foreign astronaut to visit the Chinese space station," the statement said as per China Daily.

The information ministry also announced the selection of the candidates in an X post, terming it a "landmark advancement in Pakistan's Manned Space Mission Program"
 
Daud and Zeeshan Ali are set to depart for China to begin advanced astronaut training at the Astronaut Centre of China (ACC), the ministry said. It added, "This is a significant step forward in Pakistan's space exploration journey that positions the country in the community of a select group of nations actively engaged in human spaceflight programs."

Under the collaboration, the post read, "Pakistan is preparing for its first-ever participation in a mission to the China Space Station (CSS)," adding that the mission is planned for launch in late 2026.

Aboard the CSS, "the Pakistani astronaut will conduct several scientific experiments in microgravity," which span areas including material science, fluid physics, life and bio science, and biotechnology, the ministry revealed. This, it added, brings potential applications for climate resilience, food security, and industrial innovation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the efforts of Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the post read, with the premier also appreciating the "ironclad China-Pakistan brotherhood."

SUPARCO completed the secondary phase of selecting astronaut candidates, marking another step in Pakistan's Human Spaceflight Programme, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in February 2026.
 
Following an initial screening in Pakistan, two candidates were shortlisted after undergoing detailed medical, psychological and aptitude assessments at the ACC. SUPARCO said the evaluations were conducted in line with international human spaceflight standards.

The cooperation is based on the bilateral "Astronaut Cooperation Agreement" signed in February 2025 under the leadership of PM Shehbaz. Pakistan was chosen by China as the first foreign partner in its astronaut programme, reflecting close ties between the two countries.
 
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北京时间2026年4月25日20时15分，我国在太原卫星发射中心使用长征六号运载火箭，成功将巴基斯坦PRSC-EO3卫星发射升空，卫星顺利进入预定轨道，发射任务取得圆满成功。此次任务是长征系列运载火箭的第640次飞行。
Google Translate:
At 20:15 Beijing Time on April 25, 2026, my country successfully launched the Pakistani PRSC-EO3 satellite into orbit using a Long March 6 carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The satellite successfully entered its designated orbit, marking the complete success of the launch mission. This mission represents the 640th flight of the Long March series of carrier rockets.
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