Two Pakistani pilots are undergoing intensive training in China as the country prepares to select its first astronaut for a mission aboard the Tiangong space station.
Pakistan is moving closer to a historic milestone in its space programme, with two Pakistani pilots competing to become the country’s first astronaut to travel into space.
Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud have spent months undergoing intensive astronaut training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre in Beijing. The final selection is expected between mid and late October, according to Amer Gilani, who oversees human spaceflight cooperation at Pakistan’s national space agency, Suparco.
The selected astronaut will travel to China’s Tiangong space station as a payload specialist, primarily responsible for conducting scientific experiments rather than operating the spacecraft.
China has not yet announced which of the two pilots will be selected or confirmed the launch date.
Two Pilots Selected From Around 20 Finalists
Ali and Daud emerged from a pool of around 20 finalists selected from an initial group of Pakistani pilots and scientists.
Their training has included Mandarin-language lessons, spacecraft systems, centrifuge exercises and preparation for the physical demands of spaceflight. They are also being trained to perform routine activities such as eating, sleeping and repairing equipment under microgravity conditions.
According to Suparco officials, the pilots’ experience with high-speed aircraft helped them meet the demanding physical requirements of astronaut training.
“You cannot easily find scientists who are familiar with travelling and facing high-level g-forces,” said Uzair Ansari, Suparco’s director of artificial intelligence.
The selected astronaut will remain in China until the mission, rather than returning to Pakistan between the completion of training and launch.
Pakistani Scientific Experiments to Reach Space
The mission will also carry scientific experiments developed by Pakistani researchers.
Suparco received more than 300 proposals from universities in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad following a year-long campaign. Chinese research institutions subsequently selected four experiments for the mission.
The experiments focus on biotechnology and are intended to contribute to research addressing issues including food security and climate change.
According to Suparco, the experiments have been developed and tested in Pakistani laboratories before being reviewed and approved by Chinese engineers.
Officials described the process as an important opportunity for Pakistani researchers to have their technology tested aboard an international space platform.
The experiments will operate alongside a much larger research programme aboard Tiangong, which has already hosted more than 180 experiments and contributed to hundreds of research papers and patents.
Pakistan’s Growing Space Cooperation With China
The planned astronaut mission is part of a broader space partnership between Pakistan and China that dates back several years.
The cooperation has included Chinese-launched Pakistani satellites, satellite-navigation initiatives and joint scientific projects.
Pakistan is also preparing to send a locally developed lunar rover aboard China’s Chang’e 8 mission, currently expected around 2028.
The rover will use AI-powered stereo imaging to identify obstacles, estimate depth and autonomously plan its route across the lunar surface. This capability is particularly important because communication delays make real-time control of a lunar rover from Earth difficult.
A Mission Dependent on Chinese Infrastructure
Unlike the three countries that have independently developed and operated crewed spacecraft — China, Russia and the United States — Pakistan does not currently have its own crewed spacecraft or independent human spaceflight launch capability.
The Pakistani astronaut will therefore travel aboard a Chinese spacecraft launched from China and will undergo training under Chinese instructors.
The planned stay in orbit is expected to last around one week, considerably shorter than the approximately six-month missions typically undertaken by China’s career astronauts.
The astronaut is expected to return to Earth with members of a Chinese crew currently aboard Tiangong.
No Commitment Yet for a Pakistani Moon Mission
The planned spaceflight has also raised questions about whether Pakistan could eventually participate in a crewed lunar mission through its cooperation with China.
However, Gilani said there is currently no official commitment or discussion regarding sending a Pakistani astronaut to the Moon.
Future cooperation, he said, would depend in part on the outcome of Pakistan’s first human spaceflight mission.
For Pakistan’s scientific community, the upcoming mission represents a significant opportunity to gain experience in human spaceflight and space-based research.
The mission would also mark the country’s first human journey beyond Earth and potentially open a new chapter in Pakistan’s cooperation with China in space science and technology.