Pakistani astronaut to become first foreigner to travel to China's space station

A Pakistani astronaut will become the first foreign national to travel to China's space station as part of the Shenzhou-24 mission in 2026.

According to Report, citing Reuters, which quoted the China Manned Space Agency, the astronaut will join the mission as a payload specialist.

The flight will take place under bilateral cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The astronaut's name has not yet been disclosed. In September, a representative of Pakistan's space agency told Reuters that pilots Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Dawood had been undergoing training in Beijing for several months ahead of the mission.