In a historic milestone for both Sino-Pakistani relations and global space cooperation, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Wednesday that two Pakistani nationals have become the first foreign astronaut candidates selected to participate in China’s crewed space mission training program.
The two selected candidates, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, will travel to China in the near future to serve as reserve astronauts, according to an official statement from the agency. After they complete all mandatory training modules and passing rigorous comprehensive evaluations, one candidate is expected to be assigned to a future crewed mission as a payload specialist. If selected for the mission, this Pakistani astronaut will become the first international visitor to board China’s Tiangong Space Station, and also mark the first time any Pakistani national has reached Earth’s orbit, a first for the South Asian nation.
The CMSA framed the joint training initiative as a landmark achievement in international aerospace collaboration, and a tangible demonstration of the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership extending into the cutting-edge space sector. “This fully showcases the Chinese government’s open commitment to sharing the achievements of its space program with the entire global community,” the agency noted.
China’s core guiding principle for its space exploration endeavors has long centered on the peaceful use of outer space for the collective benefit of all humanity, the statement added. The Chinese manned space program will maintain its open door policy, the agency confirmed, welcoming all nations across the globe to join in collaborative projects covering scientific experiments, technological trials conducted onboard the Tiangong Space Station, as well as joint astronaut selection and training. “Together, we will broaden humanity’s understanding of the cosmos, and join hands to contribute wisdom and strength to building a global community of shared future for humankind,” the statement read.
The groundwork for this collaborative program was laid in February 2025, when the Chinese space agency and Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission signed a bilateral cooperation agreement in Islamabad, formalizing the framework for joint selection and training of Pakistani astronaut candidates.
Prior to this, the highest altitude reached by any Pakistani national was 87.4 kilometers above sea level, achieved by polar explorer and artist Namira Salim in October 2023 during a 55-minute suborbital flight operated by U.S. commercial space firm Virgin Galactic. By global convention, the Karman Line, located 100 kilometers above sea level, is recognized as the official boundary of outer space, the threshold for orbital spaceflight.
Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of *Aerospace Knowledge* magazine, explained that the two Pakistani candidates will need to master a wide range of spaceflight-related knowledge and core skills, including Chinese language proficiency, foundational space science, spacecraft structure and functionality, space physics, and emergency response protocols. “Given that both candidates already have outstanding physical fitness and strong academic backgrounds, I am confident they will be able to master all the required knowledge and skills without major difficulty,” Wang said.
He added that for the Pakistani public, seeing one of their compatriots travel to space will be an unprecedented historic moment that fills the nation with pride. It is also expected to ignite greater interest in cutting-edge scientific research and space exploration among young Pakistanis, encouraging more of the next generation to pursue careers in aerospace.
Currently orbiting Earth, the Tiangong Space Station stands as one of the largest and most advanced space infrastructure ever deployed in low Earth orbit, and is the only active space station independently developed and operated by a single country.