Two Pakistani candidates have been shortlisted for Pakistan’s Human Spaceflight Programme after completing the secondary phase of selection conducted by the Astronauts Centre of China (ACC), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.
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 the agreement, two Pakistani nationals are to undergo astronaut training in China, with one eventually joining a mission aboard China’s Tiangong space station.
In a statement, the ISPR said Suparco had achieved a major milestone with the successful completion of the second phase of the astronaut selection process. The shortlisted candidates were chosen after undergoing detailed medical, psychological and aptitude evaluations at the ACC, in line with international human spaceflight standards.
According to the agreement, both candidates will undertake six months of advanced astronaut training at the ACC. Following the training, one candidate will be selected to participate in a spaceflight mission to the Tiangong space station, tentatively scheduled for October or November 2026.
The ISPR said the collaboration is being carried out under the Astronaut Cooperation Agreement signed in February 2025, noting that the initiative was launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose support helped enable Pakistan’s participation in human spaceflight.
The military’s media wing also highlighted China’s role, stating that Pakistan was chosen as the first foreign partner in Beijing’s astronaut programme, reflecting the strength of bilateral cooperation.
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 Pakistan’s behalf while also performing routine crew duties aboard the station.
He added that the Pakistani candidates were being selected through the same three-stage process — preliminary, secondary and final — used for Chinese astronauts.
China has been excluded from participation in the International Space Station since 2011, following a US ban on Nasa’s collaboration with Chinese space agencies. Since then, Beijing has expanded its independent space programme and sought partnerships with countries such as Pakistan.