BEIJING, Feb 28: China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) and Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) officially signed on Friday a cooperation agreement on selecting and training Pakistani astronauts for future flight missions to China’s Tiangong space station, opening a new chapter in deepening cooperation in manned space sector between the two countries, according to the CMSA.
This marks the very first step of China selecting and training foreign astronauts to participate in the country’s space station flight missions.
The move reflects a substantial breakthrough in China’s international cooperation in major space programs, and shows the maturity and reliability of China’s manned space technologies, experts said.
China’s vision of lowering the “threshold” for developing countries to enter and explore space is also a manifestation of the country fulfilling its international obligations as a major spacefaring nation, they noted.
The signing ceremony was held on Friday at Prime Minister’s Office of Pakistan. Under the witness of Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, signed the deal with SUPARCO Chairman Muhammad Yousuf Khan, according to the CMSA.
The move signifies that the Chinese government will select and train foreign astronauts for other countries for the first time, and China’s space station will welcome its first ever foreign astronaut.
According to the plan, both sides will complete the selection process in about one year, and the chosen Pakistani candidate will receive comprehensive training in China. Afterward, the Pakistani astronaut will enter Tiangong space station to carry out short-term flight missions together with Chinese taikonauts in the next few years per the flight mission schedule, the CMSA revealed.
China and Pakistan have long had extensive cooperation in the aerospace field. Personnel from both countries are familiar with each other and have worked in close coordination, laying a solid foundation for the successful completion of numerous collaborations.
Pakistan’s first indigenously developed and manufactured digital communications satellite, the Badr-1, was launched into low Earth orbit aboard a Chinese Long March 2E rocket on July 16, 1990. On May 3, 2024, amid a burst of applause and cheering, the epic Chang’e-6 probe was launched from South China’s Hainan Province, carrying onboard Pakistan’s CubeSat, which helped Pakistan achieve its first satellite lunar flyby.
“Now that the Chinese space station has entered the application and development phase, there is an opportunity to carry out many scientific experiments and achieve fruitful results. At this stage, China’s Earth-space shuttle technology has accumulated rich experience and has become increasingly mature,” an industry insider familiar with the matter told the Global Times.
The ascent and descent of manned spacecraft has always been recognized as the riskiest phase in the global human spaceflight field. Allowing foreign astronauts to take part in this process suggests that China’s spacecraft and space station are sufficiently safe, comfortable, and reliable, the expert noted.
“This also reflects a substantial breakthrough in China’s international cooperation in major space programs, as there has been little cooperation in the manned space sector,” said Wang Yanan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine. “It demonstrates the country’s genuine commitment to sharing its most valuable space resources with the global community. Additionally, it provides nations that possess their own space science initiatives but have yet to develop manned space capabilities an opportunity to participate in China’s space station program,” he told the Global Times.
Kang Guohua, a senior member of the Chinese Society of Astronautics and professor of Aerospace Engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said the foreign astronauts who board the Chinese space station in the future may undertake tasks such as payload engineering.
It would mean that astronauts from various countries will be able to carry out their own experiments on Tiangong. This would open up China’s space station as a space laboratory to the world, he said.
According to the CMSA, this cooperation deal has provided an opportunity and serves as an example of more developing countries participating in international manned spaceflight cooperation, which will help inspire more partners to join hands and explore the mysteries of the universe, and open a new path that benefits all of humanity.
China’s emphasis on providing opportunities for more developing countries shows that despite our remarkable developmental achievements, we remain a developing nation, the aerospace expert said.
China has consistently promoted mechanisms for cooperation among developing countries, such as through South-South Cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative, and BRICS mechanism.
The expert believes this is highly beneficial for advancing the space sector in developing countries, especially for emerging nations with relatively weak foundations or those just beginning their space endeavors. Lowering the “threshold” for developing countries to enter and explore space is also a manifestation of China fulfilling its international obligations as a major spacefaring nation, he said.
Previously, the majority of participants on the US-led International Space Station were basically from developed or wealthier nations. In contrast, China is leading the way for developing countries, providing them with an opportunity to participate. This embodies the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, Kang told the Global Times.
