Explained: 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

Shenzhou 24

The Chinese spacecraft the Pakistani astronaut will launch aboard

Shenzhou 23

The spacecraft the astronaut will use to return to Earth after the short flight

China Manned Space Agency

The Chinese government body overseeing China's crewed spaceflight program

payload specialist

A role for which one of the Pakistani candidates was being considered for the short-term spaceflight mission