Beijing (AFP) – A Pakistani astronaut will be the first foreigner to visit the Chinese space station, the space agency in charge of manned flights of the Asian giant, the CMSA, announced on Saturday.

First modification: 11/09/2026 - 12:39

Pakistan and China have maintained close diplomatic relations for decades and in February 2025 they agreed to carry out a Chinese government training program for Pakistani astronauts.

The Pakistani astronaut, whose name was not announced at the moment, will travel with the crew of the Shenzhou-24 space mission on a date not yet specified, according to a statement published by the CMSA on social networks.

This is a "payload specialist", that is, a crew member in charge of launching and supervising scientific instruments, satellites or experiments on board, will return to Earth after a brief orbital flight, the CMSA statement said.

Beijing has invested heavily in its space program in recent years, catching up with its main rival, the United States, and plans to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030.

© 2026 AFP

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