Pakistan Prepares to Send First Astronaut to China’s Tiangong Space Station

DID Press: Pakistan is nearing a historic milestone in its space programme, with a final decision expected on which of two military pilots will become the country’s first astronaut to travel to China’s Tiangong Space Station.

Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud have spent months undergoing advanced training in Beijing, including Mandarin-language instruction, spacecraft systems training and preparations for the physical forces of spaceflight. According to Reuters, the final selection is expected by mid-to-late October.

The selected astronaut will serve as a payload specialist, meaning he will be responsible for conducting scientific experiments rather than piloting the spacecraft. The mission is expected to last about one week.

Pakistan plans to conduct four biotechnology experiments focused on areas including food security and climate change. The experiments were selected from proposals submitted by Pakistani universities and will be carried out under Pakistan’s cooperation programme with China.

The two candidates emerged from an initial selection process involving a much larger pool of applicants. Their training and selection have included medical and physical assessments, as well as preparations for the high gravitational forces associated with spaceflight.

If selected, the Pakistani astronaut would become the first foreign astronaut to visit China’s Tiangong space station, according to Reuters.