Two Pakistani pilots in final stage of training for Chinese space station mission

Pakistani pilots Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Dawood have been receiving intensive and comprehensive training for several months at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre in Beijing. This includes learning the Chinese language.

The space mission is part of the cooperation agreed between the two countries in 2019.

According to Aamir Gilani, head of human spaceflight cooperation at Pakistan’s space agency SUPARCO, the final astronaut is expected to be named by mid or late October.

It will be the first time in Pakistan’s history that one of its citizens flies into space.

The selected pilot will leave for the space mission directly from China, without returning to Pakistan. After returning to Earth, the astronaut will go through a recovery process before coming home.

SUPARCO’s Director for Artificial Intelligence, Uzair Ansari, said 42 finalists were first selected from a large pool of pilots and scientists. They underwent medical examinations and psychological tests.

He explained that scientists have less capacity to withstand high-speed flight and severe physical stress, which is why fighter pilots were chosen.

The Pakistani astronaut will serve as a payload specialist. The main task will be to carry out Pakistan’s scientific experiments rather than to operate the spacecraft.

Chinese institutions have selected four biotechnology experiments from more than 300 proposals sent by universities in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The experiments will help address the challenges of food security and climate change.

Uzair Ansari said this is an extremely rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Pakistani scientists, as Pakistani technology is being tested on a global platform.

Pakistan has no spacecraft or rocket of its own, and the mission depends entirely on Chinese technology, language and guidance. However, the partnership is very broad.

The cooperation between China and Pakistan is not limited to the space station. Around 2028, a Pakistani robotic rover will also be sent to the Moon on China’s Chang’e-8 lunar mission.

The rover, to be sent to the lunar surface, will use an autonomous system and artificial intelligence to detect obstacles and follow its route.