Pakistan's first astronaut to board Tiangong this fall
Pakistani pilots Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud are in final training in Beijing; crew selection is expected in mid-to-late October 2026, with the Shenzhou-24 launch in an October-November window. The Pakistani astronaut would be the first foreign national aboard China's Tiangong station.
- Two candidates are Pakistan Air Force and Navy pilots picked by SUPARCO from ~20 finalists
- Training began April 24, 2026: centrifuge, microgravity drills, Mandarin
- Shenzhou-24 launch planned for an October-November 2026 window
- Role is payload specialist, same category as Gui Haichao on Shenzhou-16
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