Overview

• China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) and Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) have formalized an agreement to select and train two Pakistani astronauts.
• One of the selected Pakistani astronauts will join a mission to the Tiangong space station as a payload specialist, focusing on specialized scientific tasks.
• This collaboration marks the first time a foreign astronaut will participate in a mission aboard the Tiangong station, which has been operational for nearly four years.
• The initiative underscores China’s growing space diplomacy and its strategic partnership with Pakistan, which includes years of satellite launch cooperation.
• The agreement reflects Tiangong’s potential as an emerging international platform for scientific collaboration and space exploration.