China Confirms Pakistani Astronaut for Shenzhou 24 Space Station Mission

China has confirmed that a Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou 24 mission as a payload specialist, the China Manned Space Agency announced on November 7. The participant will make a short stay at China's space station and return aboard Shenzhou 23. The agency said this would be the station's first visit by a foreign astronaut. The agency described the mission as “the first joint flight of Chinese and foreign astronauts.” Its announcement sets out the outbound and return spacecraft but does not name the astronaut who will fly or give a launch date. It also does not specify the length of the stay in days. The assignment follows a cooperation agreement signed by China and Pakistan in Islamabad in February 2025. That agreement covered the selection and training of Pakistani astronauts and their participation in Chinese space-station missions. Selection proceeded through three stages: initial selection, further selection and final selection. Two Pakistani reserve astronauts were chosen, with one to fly and the other to serve as backup after training in China and successful assessments. In an earlier announcement on April 22, 2026, the agency said the selection had concluded in early April and identified the two candidates as Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud. That record described their forthcoming training in China. The November announcement confirms the mission arrangement without identifying which of the two has been assigned to the flight.