China's Tiangong Space Station To Host First Non-Chinese Astronaut In Coming Years, Pakistan Selected: Report

A Pakistani astronaut will fly to the Chinese space station in the coming years, making them the first foreign national to visit the station, as per a report from Xinhua news agency.

What Happened: The Chinese government will select and train a group of Pakistani astronauts as part of a cooperation agreement between the China Manned Space Engineering Office and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission.

Following training, the Pakistani astronauts will join their Chinese counterparts in missions to the space station in the next few years, the report said.

Why It Matters: NASA, meanwhile, is looking to deorbit the international space station at the end of its operations around 2030. The station has spent about 25 years in orbit and over 270 astronauts have visited it to date.

The ISS is operated by space agencies from the U.S., Europe, Japan, Canada, and Russia.

The ISS and China Tiangong Space Station are the only two operational space stations in orbit. Tiangong, occupied since 2022, is designed to be used for up to 15 years.

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