Narowal, October 18,2026: Pakistan’s first astronaut is scheduled to embark on a space mission from a Chinese space centre on November 25, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal announced on Sunday.
The minister made the announcement while addressing the concluding ceremony of World Space Week in Narowal, organised in collaboration with the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), according to a statement issued by the planning ministry.
Iqbal also said Pakistan was aiming to achieve a lunar landing by 2035, expressing confidence that cooperation with China would help the country make significant progress in space exploration.
Highlighting the importance of space technology, the minister said it played a vital role in agriculture, communications, climate monitoring, education and national security.
He stressed that scientific research and space exploration were essential for technological advancement and called for greater efforts to strengthen Pakistan’s scientific capabilities.
Recalling the historical contributions of Muslim scholars to astronomy and scientific discovery, Iqbal urged renewed efforts to restore Pakistan’s standing in knowledge, research and innovation.
The astronaut will be selected from two Pakistani pilots, Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, whom China chose in April as candidates for its human spaceflight programme. Both have been undergoing intensive training in Beijing.
China has not officially announced which of the two candidates will undertake the mission. However, Amer Gilani, who oversees human spaceflight cooperation at Suparco, told Reuters last month that a final selection was expected in mid-to-late October.
According to a Suparco official quoted by Reuters, the selected pilot will serve as a “payload specialist” during the mission, a role focused on conducting scientific experiments in space rather than piloting the spacecraft.
The astronaut will travel aboard a Chinese-built spacecraft launched from a Chinese facility, following training by Chinese instructors. The mission will also require communication in Mandarin while in orbit.
The planned flight would mark a significant milestone in Pakistan’s space programme and its cooperation with China in human spaceflight and scientific research.
