A Pakistani astronaut is scheduled to carry out a short-term mission aboard the China Space Station as a payload expert, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Friday.
In 2026, two crewed spaceflight missions and one cargo resupply mission are planned. Taikonauts from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions are expected to carry out spaceflight missions as early as this year. Also, one taikonaut of the Shenzhou-23 crew will undertake a year-long space stay experiment, said CMSA.
Last year, Pakistan and China signed a landmark agreement on cooperation in astronaut selection and training. According to CMSA’s latest announcement, the selection process is progressing smoothly, and in accordance with mission planning arrangements, one Pakistani astronaut will later conduct a short-term mission as a payload specialist, carrying out scientific experiments for Pakistan aboard the Chinese space station.
