Two Pilots, One Seat: Who Will Be the First Pakistani Astronaut in Orbit?
Two Pakistani pilots are learning Mandarin, training in centrifuges and practising how to eat, sleep and repair equipment in weightlessness. One of them will soon become the first Pakistani astronaut, and the first foreign astronaut to fly to China’s Tiangong space station. China has not said which of the two will fly or when, but a final decision is expected in mid-to-late October. The Pakistani astronaut mission is a major step in the wider China Pakistan space cooperation.
Background: How the Pakistani Astronaut Mission Began
The two countries conceived the mission in 2019, according to Amer Gilani, who oversees human spaceflight cooperation at Pakistan’s space agency, SUPARCO. Since then, the idea has moved from a diplomatic promise to a working programme. Beijing and Islamabad have signed an agreement between SUPARCO and the China Manned Space Agency, setting out how a Pakistani astronaut would take part in a flight to the Chinese station.
China named the two candidates, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, earlier this year. They were chosen from about 20 finalists who were screened for medical fitness, psychological resilience and their ability to withstand high gravitational forces. Both come from a flying background, which is why they were preferred over civilian scientists.
The mission also sits inside a much larger partnership. That cooperation spans the Belt and Road Initiative and includes Chinese-launched Pakistani satellites, a joint satellite-navigation system and a Pakistani-built rover scheduled to fly on China’s Chang’e 8 lunar mission around 2028. For Pakistan, the Pakistan space programme now depends heavily on Chinese launch vehicles, facilities and expertise.
Details: What Training for Orbit Looks Like
Ali and Daud have spent months at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre in Beijing. Their training covers Mandarin, spacecraft systems, and daily routines in microgravity, along with centrifuge exercises that mimic the forces of launch. The language work is not a side task. The astronaut will fly aboard a Chinese-built spacecraft with Chinese instructors, and is expected to communicate in Mandarin while in orbit.
The travel plan is unusual. Whoever is chosen will not return to Pakistan before launch. He will go to space directly from training in China and come home after a recovery period following the return to Earth. In practical terms, the Pakistani astronaut orbit flight will begin and end under Chinese support, with Pakistani officials tracking progress from Islamabad and Karachi.
Once aboard Tiangong, the selected pilot will work as a payload specialist rather than a station operator. He will run four Pakistani biotechnology experiments from SUPARCO on food security and climate, during a mission of roughly one week. According to TechJuice, the four experiments were picked from more than 300 proposals sent in by universities in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, and were pre-tested in SUPARCO’s own laboratories before Chinese engineers approved them.
Quotes: What Officials Are Saying
SUPARCO officials say the choice of pilots was deliberate. Uzair Ansari, the agency’s director of artificial intelligence, explained the logic in simple terms: “You cannot easily find scientists who are familiar with travelling and facing high-level g-forces.” Pilots already know how the body reacts under heavy load, and that saved time in a demanding selection process.
Chinese state media has treated the project as a landmark. Xinhua described the selection as a “milestone in the history of China’s space programme” and as a sign that Beijing wants to share the results of its space development with the international community. The framing is consistent: China presents Tiangong as a shared platform, not only a national one.
Impact: Why This Pakistani Astronaut Mission Matters
For Pakistan, the first flight would be a national milestone. The country has run a satellite and rocket programme for decades, but it has never put one of its own citizens into orbit. A successful mission could raise interest in science and engineering among students, and it would give SUPARCO an international stage for its research.
For China, the value is diplomatic as much as scientific. Hosting the first foreign astronaut on Tiangong strengthens Beijing’s claim to lead in international space cooperation, at a time when other countries are also courting partners for lunar and orbital projects. Analysts often call this approach space diplomacy, and this flight is likely to become its clearest example so far.
The regional effect is worth watching too. A Pakistani flight on a Chinese station shows what a close partner can gain from a rising space power. Other countries without their own crewed launch systems may look at the model, though each would have to weigh the dependence on a single supplier. That trade-off is real, and it applies to Pakistan as well.
Conclusion: What Comes Next
The next milestone is the final selection, expected in October 2026. After that, officials will need to announce a launch date, and the chosen pilot will begin the last phase of mission-specific training. Until China confirms the schedule, any timeline should be treated as provisional.
If the flight goes ahead, the Pakistani astronaut will spend about a week in orbit, and the four experiments will be the first Pakistani research to run aboard a crewed space station. Then attention will turn to the Chang’e 8 lunar rover around 2028, the next big test of China Pakistan space cooperation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does Pakistan have a space mission?
Yes. Pakistan’s national space agency, SUPARCO, runs satellite, remote sensing and research programmes, and it now has a crewed mission in preparation. Two pilots are training in Beijing for a flight to China’s Tiangong station, where the selected astronaut will carry out four biotechnology experiments during a stay of about a week. Pakistan also has a rover planned for China’s Chang’e 8 lunar mission around 2028, and several of its satellites have been launched by China. Pakistan does not have its own crewed launch system, so these missions rely on Chinese spacecraft, launch sites and training. That is why the current Pakistani astronaut mission is described as a joint effort rather than a fully independent one.
Has Pakistan ever sent astronauts to space?
No. As of late September 2026, no Pakistani astronaut has flown to space, and the pilot chosen in October would be the first. The final decision between Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud is expected in mid-to-late October, and China has not yet said which of them will fly or on what date. Once launched, that person would also be the first foreign astronaut to enter the Tiangong space station. The launch would take place from a Chinese site aboard a Chinese spacecraft. Until an official announcement is made, the timing of the Pakistani astronaut orbit flight remains unconfirmed.
Is there any Pakistani in NASA?
Yes, in a limited sense. Many Pakistani-American engineers and scientists work at NASA as employees or contractors, but that is different from being a NASA astronaut. NASA’s astronaut corps is open only to US citizens, so a Pakistani national cannot fly as a NASA astronaut. To date, no astronaut of Pakistani nationality has flown for any space agency. The upcoming Tiangong flight is expected to be the first. If you are looking for Pakistani representation in space science, the more direct route today is through SUPARCO and its partnership with the China Manned Space Agency.
