Pakistan’s first astronaut to launch on November 25, says Ahsan Iqbal
- Ahsan Iqbal says Pakistan’s first astronaut will depart from a Chinese space centre on November 25.
- One of two Pakistani candidates will serve as a payload specialist aboard China’s Tiangong space station.
- Pakistan is also aiming for a lunar landing by 2035, according to the planning minister.
Pakistan’s first astronaut is scheduled to embark on a space mission from China on November 25, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Sunday, as he outlined the country’s ambitions for human spaceflight and a lunar landing by 2035.
Iqbal made the announcement at the concluding ceremony of World Space Week in his hometown of Narowal. The event was organised in collaboration with the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco).
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According to a statement issued by the planning ministry, the minister said cooperation with China would help Pakistan advance its space exploration programme and reach new milestones.
Two Pakistani nationals, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, have been undergoing the selection process for the mission. In February, the military’s media wing said both had successfully completed advanced medical, psychological and aptitude assessments in China for a human spaceflight mission.
China’s state-run Xinhua News reported in April that the two Pakistanis had been selected as the first foreign candidates for its upcoming astronaut training programme.
One of them will join a mission as a payload specialist, becoming the first foreign astronaut aboard China’s Tiangong space station, according to Xinhua. The supplied announcement did not identify which candidate would make the journey.
The mission follows the Astronaut Cooperation Agreement signed by Pakistan and China in February 2025 to enable Pakistani participation in space-based activities.
The partnership forms part of Pakistan’s efforts to enter human spaceflight through cooperation with Beijing, while China expands international participation in Tiangong amid growing competition in space exploration.
Pakistan and China have previously collaborated on satellite launches and lunar exploration projects.
