According to CCTV News, the Shenzhou-24 crew is scheduled to fly to China's space station this month for a space rendezvous and crew rotation with the Shenzhou-23 crew. The China Manned Space Agency announced that the Shenzhou-24 mission will carry one Pakistani payload specialist, who will return aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft after a short stay in orbit — the first foreign astronaut to visit China's space station.
China-Pakistan cooperation and astronaut selection
In February 2025, China and Pakistan signed in Islamabad the Cooperation Agreement on the Selection and Training of Pakistani Astronauts and Their Participation in China's Space Station Flight Missions, formally launching the selection of Pakistani astronauts. After rigorous screening and evaluation across three stages — preliminary, secondary and final selection — two Pakistani reserve astronauts were chosen. After completing all training in China and passing assessments, one will carry out the crewed flight mission and the other will serve as backup.
IT之家 learned from the report that during this mission, the Pakistani astronaut will spend about one week in space before returning to Earth. One member of the Shenzhou-23 crew will continue working and living in space to complete a one-year in-orbit stay, and the crew will form a new lineup.
One-year stay and space human research
Pang Zhihao, China's chief science communication expert on space exploration technology, said a one-year in-orbit stay can verify the human body's ability to adapt to the deep-space environment over the long term and accumulate core data for future crewed lunar and Mars exploration.
During that astronaut's one-year stay in space, China's first space human research program will be carried out. It will also verify the ability to safeguard astronauts' health during long-duration flights and improve the in-orbit medical and protection systems; in addition, it will provide longer-term, continuous research opportunities for scientific projects and related technology verification.
What to watch
After Shenzhou-24 launches, China's space station will for the first time see a foreign astronaut's short-term stay running in parallel with a Chinese astronaut's long-term stay. Key points to watch include the specific launch time of Shenzhou-24, the in-orbit work of the Pakistani payload specialist, and progress in implementing the first space human research program.