Maria Imran 
china, pakistan is projected to send its first astronaut into space
Collaboration between China and Pakistan in the first-ever space
In a historic announcement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed that Pakistan is preparing to send its first astronaut into space, and that too with strong support from China.
The mission, which will involve a Pakistani joining a manned space flight for the first time, will be undertaken in collaboration with China’s advanced space agency. Earlier this month, according to an invitation issued by Pakistan’s space agency Suparco, scientists were asked to send ideas for experiments that can be conducted during the missions at the Chinese Space Station.
As per the spokesperson of China Manned Space Agency (CSMA) Lin Xiqiang, selection of astronauts will be done in three stages. The first round will take place in Pakistan while all the other two will be into China.
The selected Pakistani astronaut will be part of the space mission as a payload specialist, which means he or she will conduct science experiment for Pakistan wiithin the space.
PM Shehbaz praised China during a meeting with Galaxy Space, a Chinese space tech firm, and said that space technology is now a top priority for Pakistan’s future. He also called China Pakistan’s “most trusted and strategic partner”.
Two astronauts from Pakistan will get trained at the Astronaut Centre of China, and Pakistan will become the first foreign country to be part of China’s astronaut training programme. The entire selection and preparation process is expected to be completed by 2026.mission.
