China has selected two Pakistani astronauts as candidates for its manned space programme, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday.

Both will travel to China for training, and one will participate in a flight mission as a payload specialist and become the first foreign astronaut in China’s space station, CCTV said.

Meanwhile, China Daily reported on Wednesday that the astronauts were identified as Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud. The report said the two had passed multiple rounds of selection procedures and will soon come to China to take part in spaceflight training.

It quoted the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) as saying that the selection and training of Pakistani astronauts was a “landmark event in the history of China’s space industry”.

Separately, in a statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) said the astronauts were set to depart for China to “begin advanced astronaut training at the Astronaut Centre of China (ACC)”.

It stressed that the development was a “significant step forward in Pakistan’s space exploration journey that positions the country in the community of a select group of nations actively engaged in human spaceflight programs”.

As per Suparco, “under this collaboration, Pakistan is preparing for its first-ever participation in a mission to the China Space Station (CSS)”, which the space agency said is planned for launch in late 2026.

“During mission aboard the CSS, the Pakistani astronaut will conduct several scientific experiments in microgravity,” as per the statement.

It added that the experiments span “critical areas including material science, fluid physics, life/bio science, and biotechnology, with potential applications for climate resilience, food security, and industrial innovation”.

Suparco further stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had commended the efforts of the space agency, terming the development “a harbinger of deep space exploration”.

According to the statement, the premier noted that the partnership with China was “yet another testimony” of Pakistan-China friendship.

In February 2025, Suparco and CMSA had signed a cooperation agreement. Under the pact, two Pakistanis were to train in China, with one joining a mission on the Tiangong space station operated by Beijing.

In February this year, two astronauts were shortlisted for Pakistan’s Human Spaceflight Programme by the Astronauts Centre of China.

China has been barred from particip­ating in the International Space Station since 2011, when the US prohibited Nasa from collaborating with Chinese space agencies. Since then, Beijing has sought to build partnerships with other countries — including Pakistan — in its expanding space programme.