China Selects First Foreign Astronaut Candidates for Space Station Mission

Two Pakistanis

Two Pakistani nationals have been selected as candidates to become the first foreign astronauts to travel to the Chinese space station.

Chinese soldiers raising the national flag of China, the Five-star Red Flag, in Tiananmen Square. Wikipedia

According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency on April 22, the China Manned Space Agency recently completed the selection process for its space program’s first foreign astronaut candidates and announced the final candidates.

These individuals will undergo training in China as backup astronauts. After further review, one of them will be chosen to participate in the flight mission.

China and Pakistan signed a cooperation agreement in February last year regarding the selection and training of Pakistani astronauts and their participation in missions to the Chinese space station, and have since carried out the selection process.

Xinhua News Agency described this as “a milestone in the history of China’s space program and a symbolic achievement in international cooperation related to the Chinese space station,” calling it a successful example of the all-weather strategic partnership between the two countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.