Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Pakistan will send its first astronaut to China’s Tiangong space station with China’s help. The announcement came after SUPARCO and the China Manned Space Agency signed a cooperation agreement, marking a big step for Pakistan’s space program.
Under the agreement, two Pakistani astronauts will train at China’s Astronaut Centre. One will become a scientific payload specialist and conduct research on the space station. The selection process will finish by 2026, and the chosen astronaut will join a future mission.
The astronaut will run experiments in fields like biology, medicine, aerospace, physics, space radiation and astronomy. The China Manned Space Agency said it will take about a year to choose the astronauts. After training, one of them will fly to the Tiangong station and stay there for a short mission.
Right now, the highest altitude any Pakistani has reached is 87.4 km. Namira Salim achieved this during a suborbital Virgin Galactic flight in 2023. This new mission will take Pakistan beyond the Karman line, the 100 km boundary of space.
Officials hope this agreement will inspire other developing countries to explore space. China has welcomed international partnerships, and astronauts from Italy and Germany have already trained in China.
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Tiangong is one of the largest space stations, with a core module and two science capsules. It orbits 400 km above Earth and hosts regular crew and cargo ships. The current crew, Shenzhou XIX, arrived in October and will return in April or May. The station weighs over 100 tons and should operate for at least 10 more years.
This agreement brings Pakistan closer to becoming a spacefaring nation while strengthening ties with China. It opens the door for future collaborations and more scientific discoveries in space.
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