Pakistani astronaut to join China's next space station mission

Beijing [China], November 8: China's Manned Space Agency has selected a Pakistani astronaut as a payload specialist for its upcoming Shenzhou-24 mission, making the unnamed individual the first foreign national to visit the country's space station.
The Pakistani astronaut would join China's Shenzhou-24 mission, as part of bilateral cooperation under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese state media reported on Saturday.
China has not identified the astronaut nor given a date of departure, but the mission is expected to take place by the end of the year.
Pakistani pilots Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud spent months training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center in Beijing for a mission.
Last February, Pakistan and China, longstanding strategic and diplomatic partners, entered into an agreement, establishing a Chinese government-led programme to train Pakistani astronauts. China is Pakistan's largest trading partner and a key foreign investor.
The China National Space Administration will also deploy Jinnah-1, Pakistan's inaugural lunar rover. Weighing 35kg (77lb) and fitted with specialised scientific equipment, the rover is tasked with analysing plasma behaviour, radiation, and the composition of lunar soil.
The training programme includes practical operational exercises and intensive Chinese language lessons to prepare the candidates for the mission.
Beijing's China Central Television reported that after completing a short-term in-orbit flight, the astronauts would return to Earth on board the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft.
Source: Qatar Tribune