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

Key points

• A Pakistani astronaut will join China's Shenzhou 24 mission as the first foreign national aboard a Chinese space station.
• The astronaut would perform a short on-orbit flight and return aboard Shenzhou 23.
• Xinhua reported no specific launch date for the mission.
• The mission would be China's first joint flight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts.
• The program follows a February 2025 China-Pakistan agreement and aims toward broader space cooperation.