According to a China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) spokeswoman cited by Associated Press of Pakistan on Wednesday, Pakistan has begun the selection process for the nation’s first-ever manned space mission, which is anticipated to board the Tiangong Space Station.
PM Shehbaz Sharif declared in February that Pakistan and China would work together to launch a manned mission into space.
In order to maximize the mission’s scientific impact earlier this month, Pakistan’s space agency Suparco then requested applications for creative experiments to be carried out in the Chinese Space Station.
With achievements like the Tiangong space station and lunar sample-return missions, China’s space program has developed quickly over the years.
CSMA spokesperson Lin Xiqiang described the three-stage selection procedure in an interview with APP. While the secondary and final selections will take place in China, the preliminary selection will take place in Pakistan.
He affirmed that the Pakistani astronaut will serve as a payload specialist on a cooperative space flight mission. “The astronaut will be in charge of [conducting] scientific experiments on behalf of Pakistan”, he continued.
Speaking to a delegation from Galaxy Space, a Chinese space technology business, PM Shehbaz emphasized Tuesday that Pakistan was “giving utmost importance to the space technology sector” and that China was still the nation’s “most reliable and strategic partner”.
Pakistan will become the first foreign nation to participate in China’s space station training program when the two Pakistani astronauts receive training at the Astronaut Centre of China. By 2026, the selecting process is expected to be finished.
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
