First Pakistani Astronaut to Join China’s Tiangong Space Station
- Pakistan is poised to launch its first astronaut to China’s Tiangong space station.
- Success in this mission relies on a selection process that prioritized physiological and psychological durability.
- You cannot easily find scientists who are familiar with travelling and facing high-level g-forces, Ansari said, highlighting the physical demands inherent in spaceflight.
Pakistan is poised to launch its first astronaut to China’s Tiangong space station. Pilots Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud are currently stationed at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center in Beijing, enduring an intensive curriculum to prepare for a week-long orbital mission. This flight serves as a benchmark in a deepening space partnership between Islamabad and Beijing.
The physical toll of flight training
Success in this mission relies on a selection process that prioritized physiological and psychological durability. Uzair Ansari, the director of artificial intelligence at Pakistan’s space agency, SUPARCO, noted that the decision to recruit high-speed pilots was deliberate.
You cannot easily find scientists who are familiar with travelling and facing high-level g-forces,
Ansari said, highlighting the physical demands inherent in spaceflight.
In Beijing, the pilots are managing a demanding schedule: Mandarin language immersion, complex spacecraft operations, and microgravity simulations for routine tasks like eating, sleeping, and performing repairs. Amer Gilani, who oversees human spaceflight cooperation at SUPARCO, confirmed that the selected astronaut will move straight from the training base to the launch site. A return to Pakistan is not scheduled until the post-flight recovery phase is complete.
Scientific experiments in microgravity
Conceived in 2019, the mission designates the Pakistani representative as a “payload specialist,” a role focused on experimental research rather than piloting duties. SUPARCO sifted through more than 300 proposals from universities across Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Chinese institutes ultimately selected four for the mission, all targeting biotechnology advancements in climate change and food insecurity.
Each experiment is refined and pre-tested in SUPARCO’s own laboratories before facing final validation by Chinese engineers. While the four chosen projects represent a modest share of the 180 experiments hosted on the Tiangong station, they mark a tangible expansion of Pakistan’s domestic research capabilities.
Logistics of the Tiangong mission
The mission operates under the umbrella of the Belt and Road Initiative, extending a history of satellite deployment, navigation systems, and the upcoming Chang’e 8 lunar mission rover slated for 2028. Because Pakistan lacks an independent crewed launch vehicle, the mission relies entirely on Chinese infrastructure.
The Pakistani astronaut will travel on a Chinese-built craft, returning to Earth alongside two members of the current Chinese crew. A third crew member will remain on the station for a year to study long-duration human physiology. The mission will unfold across the Tiangong’s three modules—Tianhe, Wentian, and Mengtian—which house 14 experiment racks dedicated to fluid physics, combustion, and radiation exposure research.