Pakistan is moving closer to a historic milestone in its space program, with plans to send its first astronaut on a human space mission in cooperation with China, a step officials say would place the country among a small group of nations linked to human spaceflight.
The mission is tied to an agreement between Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and the China Manned Space Agency for a Pakistani astronaut to travel to China’s Tiangong space station. Pakistani officials have described the development as a landmark moment for the country’s space ambitions.
Under the program, Pakistani candidates are to undergo a selection and training process in China before one is chosen for the mission.
More recent reporting says two Pakistani astronaut candidates have already been shortlisted, marking the next phase in preparations for the planned flight. The mission is expected to take place by late 2026 after training is completed, and Pakistani scientists, researchers and students have also been invited to submit experiment proposals for work to be carried out aboard the space station.
If completed as planned, the flight would mark Pakistan’s first human space mission and a major symbolic advance for the country’s scientific and technological profile, while also underscoring deepening space cooperation between Islamabad and Beijing.
