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

A Pakistani astronaut will join the crew of China's Shenzhou 24 spacecraft

This would make him the first foreign national to board China's space station

The astronaut would complete a short on-orbit flight and return to Earth aboard Shenzhou 23

This mission would be the first joint flight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China's manned space program

February 2025: China and Pakistan signed an agreement enabling the mission · earlier this year: Two Pakistani candidates began training alongside Chinese counterparts · Saturday: State media reported that a Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou 24 crew · upcoming: Pakistani astronaut to launch on Shenzhou 24 and later return via Shenzhou 23

The report did not specify the launch date for the mission