At a ceremony at the China Academy of Space Technology, Pakistan’s national flag, which was taken to China’s space station onboard the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft, was handed over to the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing (CAST).
The national flags of Pakistan and China were launched into space by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the two nations’ diplomatic relations.
On June 17, 2021, the flags were launched atop the Long March-2F carrier rocket and returned to Earth via the Shenzhou-12, China’s manned spaceship, following a three-month stay in space. The Shnezhou-12 space mission launched three Chinese astronauts into space to help build Tiangong, a Chinese space station that is planned to be finished next year.