Overview
- China’s human spaceflight agency, which announced the picks Wednesday, named Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud and said one could be chosen after training as a payload specialist, potentially becoming the first foreign astronaut to visit Tiangong.
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, following Thursday’s meeting with the pair in Islamabad, praised the selection as a national milestone and reaffirmed the target of a late‑2026 Shenzhou mission carrying a Pakistani researcher.
- The candidates will begin advanced instruction at the Astronaut Centre of China in Beijing, with final crew assignment dependent on completing courses and passing assessments, and multiple reports identify both men as serving Pakistan Air Force pilots.
- Pakistan’s planned experiments on the station focus on materials science, fluid physics, life sciences, and biotechnology, with officials saying results could aid climate resilience, food security, and industrial innovation at home.
- The collaboration stems from a February 2025 CMSA–SUPARCO agreement and positions Pakistan as the first foreign partner in China’s astronaut program as Beijing invites more nations to use Tiangong.