First Foreign Tiangong Astronaut
Pakistani pilots train in Beijing to become the first foreign astronaut aboard China's Tiangong space station.
Anonymous
Pakistan is nearing a decision between pilots Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud for its first astronaut, who would also be the first foreign astronaut to visit China’s Tiangong space station. The two have trained for months in Beijing, studying Mandarin and spacecraft systems and preparing for launch forces and life in microgravity; selection is expected in mid-to-late October. The astronaut is expected to serve as a payload specialist, conducting Pakistani research rather than piloting the spacecraft, including biotechnology experiments selected to address food security and climate challenges. The mission is part of broader Pakistan-China space cooperation, which also includes satellites and a Pakistani rover planned for a future Chinese lunar mission.
Key Points
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The astronaut will travel directly to space from training in China and will not return to Pakistan before launch; after returning to Earth, the astronaut will go home following a recovery period.
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The Tiangong mission is expected to last roughly one week. Pakistan selected four biotechnology experiments from more than 300 proposals submitted by universities in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
3
The mission was conceived by Pakistan and China in 2019, and candidates were selected from about 20 finalists drawn from an initial pool of Pakistani pilots and scientists.
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