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Pakistani astronaut to board Shenzhou 24 and become the first foreigner on China's space station

China Manned Space Agency announced Saturday that a Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 crewed mission as a payload specialist, becoming the first foreign national to board the Tiangong space station. The astronaut will complete a short-duration orbital flight and return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, according to Xinhua. No launch date has been specified. The selection follows a bilateral cooperation agreement between Pakistan and China on human spaceflight.

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  • ✓ A Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 mission as a payload specialist, confirmed by the China Manned Space Agency.
  • ✓ The astronaut will be the first foreign national to board China's Tiangong space station.
  • ✓ The mission involves a short on-orbit flight with return aboard Shenzhou-23, per Xinhua.
  • ✓ No launch date has been announced by Chinese authorities.
🛡️ Source Corroboration: 14 independent reporting domains (92% confidence) ⏱ Read time: ~2 min

What changed

China Manned Space Agency officially confirmed a Pakistani payload specialist will fly on Shenzhou-24 and return on Shenzhou-23, making them the first foreign astronaut aboard Tiangong.

Live updates

  1. Pakistani astronaut set for Shenzhou-24, first foreigner on China space station

    China Manned Space Agency announced Saturday that a Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 crewed mission as a payload specialist, becoming the first foreign national to board the Tiangong space station. The astronaut will complete a short-duration orbital flight and return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, according to Xinhua. No launch date has been specified. The selection follows a bilateral cooperation agreement between Pakistan and China on human spaceflight.

    Why it matters

    This marks the first time China has opened its permanently crewed space station to a non-Chinese astronaut, signaling a diplomatic and scientific expansion of the Tiangong program. Pakistan and China have deepened space cooperation in recent years, including satellite launches and astronaut training. The mission will test international crew integration on a station China built independently after being excluded from the International Space Station.

    What is confirmed

    • A Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 mission as a payload specialist, confirmed by the China Manned Space Agency.
    • The astronaut will be the first foreign national to board China's Tiangong space station.
    • The mission involves a short on-orbit flight with return aboard Shenzhou-23, per Xinhua.
    • No launch date has been announced by Chinese authorities.

    Still unconfirmed

    • The astronaut's name and specific mission timeline have not been publicly disclosed.

    What to watch next

    • Official announcement of the astronaut's identity and launch date
    • Details on scientific experiments or tasks assigned to the payload specialist
    • Confirmation of Shenzhou-24 launch schedule and crew composition
    Sources used for this update (14)
    1. mynews13.com — SpaceX successfully launches latest Starlink mission
    2. en.people.cn — U.S. Marine indicted on robbery-murder charges in Japan's Okinawa
    3. Reuters — Pakistani astronaut to join China space station's Shenzhou-24 mission
    4. AP News — Pakistani astronaut to board Shenzhou 24 and become the first foreigner on China's space station
    5. Al Jazeera — Pakistani astronaut to join China’s next space station mission
    6. Global Times — China's space station to welcome first-ever foreign astronaut: CMSA
    7. Dawn — Pakistani astronaut to join Shenzhou-24 mission to China's space station
    8. The Times of India — Pakistan to send astronaut to China’s space station aboard Shenzhou-24 mission
    9. https://tech-insider.org/ — Pakistani Astronaut on Shenzhou-24: 1st Foreigner [2026]
    10. Big News Network.com — Chinese space station to welcome first foreign astronaut
    11. www.china.org.cn — First foreign astronaut to board Chinese space station - China.org.cn
    12. abcnews.com — Pakistani astronaut to board Shenzhou 24 and become the first ...
    confidence 92%
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