The China Manned Space Engineering Office said on Nov 7 that a Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 crewed flight mission as a payload specialist. This marks the first joint flight of Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China's crewed space program, and China's space station will welcome its first foreign astronaut.
Shenzhou-24 is expected to launch in late November 2026 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, according to IT之家. The exact date is subject to the official launch window.
Selection and training
The selection process dates back to February 2025, when China and Pakistan signed a cooperation agreement in Islamabad on selecting and training Pakistani astronauts for participation in China's space station missions, officially launching the selection of Pakistani astronauts.
After preliminary, secondary and final selection rounds, two Pakistani reserve astronauts were chosen in early April 2026: Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud. Both are fighter pilots of the Pakistan Air Force and subsequently received training in China covering intensive Chinese language courses, spacecraft systems knowledge, microgravity adaptation and centrifuge high-G tolerance.
Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut and deputy chief designer of the crewed space program, said in October 2026 that the two Pakistani reserve astronauts had performed "exceptionally well" in training and were conducting joint training with Chinese astronauts. The final crew member will be selected from the two, with the other serving as backup.
Payload specialist duties and mission arrangements
Unlike pilots selected from aviators who operate the spacecraft, payload specialists are mainly responsible for the operation, management, maintenance and repair of space station payloads, as well as conducting space science experiments, data collection and analysis. During his time in orbit, the Pakistani payload specialist will focus on Pakistani space science experiments and will not be involved in operating the Shenzhou spacecraft or the space station platform.
Under the mission plan, the Pakistani payload specialist will return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft after completing a short-duration orbital flight, rather than on Shenzhou-24, the spacecraft he will ride to space. This means the Shenzhou-24 crew will experience a "cross-return" during their time in orbit: the Pakistani astronaut will depart the station together with some Shenzhou-23 crew members, while the remaining Chinese astronauts continue their stay.
What to watch
The final crew selection, the specific launch date of Shenzhou-24 and the detailed crew division for the "cross-return" arrangement await further official announcements.