PM Shehbaz meets astronauts selected for manned space mission, calls it historic milestone

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met Pakistani astronauts Khurram Daud and Muhammad Zeeshan Ali, selected for China’s manned space mission, and described their participation in space research as a historic achievement for the country and a matter of national pride.

China has selected the two Pakistani astronauts as candidates for its manned space program. Both will go to China for training, and one of them will participate in a flight mission as a payload specialist and become the first foreign astronaut in the Chinese space station.

After completing all training courses and passing relevant assessments, one of them will be selected to serve on a mission crew as a payload specialist to participate in a space flight, becoming the first foreign astronaut to visit the Chinese space station. The Pakistani astronaut will conduct several scientific experiments in microgravity, which cover areas such as materials science, fluid physics, life sciences and biotechnology, and biotechnology.

The two met the Prime Minister today in a meeting at the PM House, during which he expressed his “deep pleasure” at meeting the young astronauts and termed their selection for space research an “important milestone” for Pakistan.

“I am confident that you will write a new chapter in the history of Pakistan,” the Prime Minister told the astronauts, appreciating their dedication and hard work that enabled them to achieve this milestone.

The Prime Minister, while highlighting cooperation between Pakistan and China in the space sector, said the astronaut mission through Chinese collaboration would further strengthen the long-standing ties between the two countries, adding that bilateral cooperation in space research reflected a “common commitment to explore new frontiers and achieve greater scientific heights together”.

Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, present at the meeting, welcomed the Prime Minister’s remarks and described the expansion of cooperation between Pakistan and China in space research as encouraging and forward-looking.

The astronauts expressed gratitude for the opportunity and called their participation in space research a “unique honor and a source of pride for Pakistan.” They reaffirmed their determination to meet the expectations of the nation through their dedication and hard work.

Learn more: Pakistan launches new remote sensing satellite from China

Astronaut Attache Hasnain Iftikhar of Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) was also present during the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar, Minister of Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Amna Baloch and Chairman of SUPARCO Muhammad Yousaf Khan.

This is not the first time that Pakistan and China have collaborated on space projects. Last year in October, SUPARCO successfully launched the first ever hyperspectral satellite (HS-1) from China.

The HS-1 satellite was designed to capture ultra-precise hyperspectral images across hundreds of narrow spectral bands, providing unprecedented resolution for the analysis of land, vegetation, water and urban features. With its advanced imaging capability, HS-1 has enabled the country to accurately map crop vitality, soil moisture and water quality, while rigorously tracking deforestation, pollution and melting glaciers.

In July 2025, Pakistan successfully launched its latest remote sensing satellite from China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The launch was carried out by SUPARCO, the national space agency of Pakistan, in collaboration with China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and MICROSAT China.