Pakistan’s first astronaut to undertake space mission on November 25

Pakistan’s first astronaut will undertake a space mission from a Chinese space centre on November 25, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal announced on Sunday.

Iqbal 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.

The minister also said Pakistan aimed to achieve a lunar landing by 2035, expressing hope that cooperation with China would advance the country’s space exploration programme.

He highlighted the importance of space technology in agriculture, communications, climate monitoring, education and national security. Iqbal also stressed the role of scientific research in technological advancement and called for renewed efforts to strengthen Pakistan’s research capabilities.

Pakistan’s astronaut will be selected from two pilots, Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, whom China selected in April as candidates for its human spaceflight programme. Both have been undergoing intensive training in Beijing.

China has not announced which pilot will undertake the mission. A final selection was expected in mid-to-late October, according to Amer Gilani, who oversees human spaceflight cooperation at Suparco, as quoted by Reuters last month.

A Suparco official told Reuters that the selected pilot would serve as a “payload specialist”, conducting Pakistan’s scientific experiments in orbit rather than flying the spacecraft.