Pakistani Astronaut to Make History in China’s Tiangong
News Desk
Beijing: China’s Tiangong space station is set to welcome its first foreign visitor a Pakistani astronaut who is expected to be the first from Pakistan to travel to outer space.
This milestone follows a significant cooperation agreement between the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) and Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), signed at a ceremony in Islamabad on Friday.
The agreement, witnessed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, outlines the collaborative efforts between the two nations in selecting and training Pakistani astronauts. This marks the first time China is assisting another country in astronaut selection and training, as well as the first instance of a non-Chinese astronaut visiting the Tiangong space station, which has been in orbit for nearly four years.
According to the CMSA, the selection process will take approximately one year, after which the chosen Pakistani candidates will undergo comprehensive training in China. Details regarding the initiation of the selection process have not yet been disclosed, according to China Daily.
Once trained, a Pakistani astronaut will accompany a Chinese crew to the Tiangong space station for a short-term stay. The space station, orbiting approximately 400 kilometers above Earth, is a cutting-edge research facility and the only operational space station built independently by a single nation.
The highest altitude reached by any Pakistani so far is 87.4 km, achieved by Namira Salim, a polar adventurer and artist, during a 55-minute suborbital flight with Virgin Galactic on October 6, 2023.
In contrast, the internationally recognized boundary of outer space, known as the Kármán line, begins at 100 km above sea level.
The agreement between China and Pakistan is expected to encourage more developing nations to engage in international human spaceflight cooperation, setting a precedent for global collaboration in space exploration.
The initiative aligns with China’s commitment to international partnerships in its space program, as reiterated by senior officials, including Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut in space and now a deputy chief planner of China’s manned spaceflights, and Lin Xiqiang, deputy head of the CMSA.
Since the launch of Tiangong’s first module in April 2021, China has expressed openness to foreign participation. In February 2023, senior space official Chen Shanguang stated that multiple countries had shown interest in sending their astronauts to the Chinese space station.
Tiangong, one of the largest and most sophisticated structures in Earth’s orbit, comprises three permanent modules—a core module and two science capsules. It is regularly visited by crew and cargo spacecraft and currently weighs over 100 tons. The station is expected to operate for at least a decade.
Eight crews have manned the station so far, including the current Shenzhou XIX team, which arrived in late October and is scheduled to return in late April or early May.
China has previously trained foreign astronauts, including Samantha Cristoforetti from Italy and Matthias Maurer from Germany, who participated in a sea survival exercise in 2017, organized by China’s Astronaut Center.
However, the upcoming mission marks the first time a foreign astronaut will actually travel to and stay aboard Tiangong.
This historic collaboration is poised to open new avenues for space exploration and scientific cooperation, strengthening ties between China and Pakistan while inspiring other nations to participate in global space missions.
