A Pakistani astronaut will become the first foreign visitor aboard China's Tiangong space station when he launches on Shenzhou 24 this month.
Two candidates, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, both military pilots, were chosen from about 20 finalists and have been training at the Astronaut Centre of China in Beijing following a February 2025 agreement between the two nations. China's human spaceflight agency confirmed in a Nov. 7 press statement that the upcoming Shenzhou 24 mission will carry one of the astronauts, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Nov. 9 that the mission marks a historic joint effort in China's manned space program.
The selected astronaut will fly as a payload specialist for roughly a week aboard Tiangong, conduct four research payloads out of more than 300 proposals submitted by Pakistan's SUPARCO, and return to Earth on the departing Shenzhou 23 spacecraft. Launch of Shenzhou 24 is expected before the end of November from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, with the crew identities to be revealed a day before liftoff. The mission adjusts China's usual six-month rotation, allowing one Shenzhou 23 astronaut to stay for a year-long stay while the Pakistani colleague takes the return seat.