ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): In yet another significant milestone, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) has completed the secondary selection phase of astronaut candidates for the country’s first Human Spaceflight Programme, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a press release.
The military’s media wing said, “Following an initial screening in Pakistan, two candidates were shortlisted after undergoing detailed medical, psychological, and aptitude assessments at the Astronauts Centre of China (ACC).”
The press release added that the “shortlisted candidates will undertake advanced astronaut training for six months at ACC. Upon completion of training, one candidate will be selected for a spaceflight mission aboard the Chinese Space Station (CSS) in October / November 2026.”
This cooperation is anchored on the bilateral “Astronaut Cooperation Agreement”, signed in February 2025, under the leadership of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, whose vision and support were instrumental in enabling Pakistan’s participation in human spaceflight.
This landmark initiative also reflects the strong support of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, which selected Pakistan as the first foreign partner in its astronaut programme, the ISPR stated.
Last year in February, Suparco and the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) signed an agreement to send Pakistan’s first astronaut to space.
It was agreed that two Pakistani astronauts will be trained in the Astronaut Center of China for a period, and one of them shall be earmarked to participate in a future mission to China’s Tiangong Space Station as a scientific payload specialist.
CMSA spokesperson Lin Xiqiang said the selected astronaut would conduct scientific experiments on behalf of Pakistan while also performing standard crew duties aboard the station. He noted that the said the selection would follow the same three-stage process (preliminary, secondary, and final) used for Chinese astronauts.
