ISLAMABAD: Two candidates have been shortlisted for Pakistan’s Human Spaceflight Programme by the Astronauts Centre of China (ACC), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday, marking a key milestone in the country’s participation in manned space missions.
The development follows a cooperation agreement signed in February 2025 between Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) and the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), under which two Pakistani candidates were to undergo astronaut training in China, with one eventually joining a mission to Beijing’s Tiangong space station.
In a press release, the ISPR said Suparco had successfully completed the secondary phase of astronaut selection after an initial screening process in Pakistan. The shortlisted candidates were selected following comprehensive medical, psychological and aptitude assessments conducted at the ACC in line with international human spaceflight standards.
Under the bilateral agreement, the two candidates will now undergo six months of advanced astronaut training at the ACC. Upon completion, one of them will be selected to participate in a spaceflight mission aboard the Tiangong space station, scheduled for October or November 2026.
The ISPR said the cooperation was anchored in the Astronaut Cooperation Agreement signed in February 2025 under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose vision and support, it added, were instrumental in enabling Pakistan’s entry into human spaceflight.
The statement also highlighted China’s role in the initiative, noting that Pakistan was chosen as the first foreign partner in China’s astronaut programme, reflecting the depth of bilateral ties between the two countries.
At the signing ceremony last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced that Pakistan, in collaboration with China, would send its first astronaut on a manned mission to China’s space station.
The CMSA later confirmed that two Pakistani astronauts would be trained in China, with one expected to join a future Tiangong mission as a payload specialist. CMSA spokesperson Lin Xiqiang said the selected astronaut would conduct scientific experiments on behalf of Pakistan while also performing standard crew duties aboard the station.
He added that the selection process for Pakistani candidates followed the same three-stage procedure — preliminary, secondary and final — used for Chinese astronauts.
China has been barred from participating in the International Space Station since 2011, when the United States prohibited Nasa from collaborating with Chinese space agencies. Since then, Beijing has expanded its independent space programme and sought partnerships with other countries, including Pakistan.
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