Pakistani astronaut picked for Shenzhou 24, a first for China's space station

A Pakistani astronaut will climb aboard China's Shenzhou 24 spacecraft, becoming the first foreign national to visit Beijing's space station. State media announced the pick Saturday. No launch date has been given.

According to the China Manned Space Agency, the astronaut will complete a short flight in orbit and then head home on Shenzhou 23, Xinhua reported. The agency didn't say when the mission lifts off.

The flight would be the first joint mission between Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China's manned space program. Two Pakistani candidates, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, began training alongside Chinese astronauts earlier this year, Xinhua reported. One of them was slated to fly as a payload specialist on a short-term mission.

Training covered hands-on operational skills plus what Xinhua described as intensive Chinese language instruction. The upcoming trip falls under an agreement China and Pakistan signed in February 2025.

Bigger plans are already in motion. China is aiming for its first crewed lunar landing by 2030, while NASA targets astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028. The U.S. is widely seen as China's top space rival.

For now, the Shenzhou 24 slot hands Pakistan a seat at the table — and hands China a headline moment in its push to bring partners into its orbital program.