Get ready for a giant leap for international space cooperation! Pakistan is set to send an astronaut to China's Tiangong space station, marking a historic first. This mission signifies a deepening partnership in space exploration, opening up exciting possibilities for the future.
China is actively training Pakistani astronauts, preparing them for a short-duration mission to Tiangong. According to Zhang Jingbo, a spokesperson for the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), two Pakistani astronauts will train alongside their Chinese counterparts. One of these selected astronauts will then embark on a short-duration flight as a payload expert.
This collaboration is rooted in a cooperation agreement signed in February of this year. The selection process is already underway in Pakistan, with the final stages of selection to be completed in China. The Pakistani astronaut will not only fulfill the crew's daily duties but will also conduct scientific experiments on behalf of Pakistan.
But here's where it gets interesting... The exact mission for the Pakistani astronaut is yet to be revealed. However, we know that the astronaut will travel aboard a Shenzhou spacecraft, launched by a Long March 2F rocket from Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert. The Shenzhou 22 mission is expected to launch in about six months, and Shenzhou 23 is planned for about a year from now.
It's highly probable that the Pakistani astronaut will join a Shenzhou spacecraft with two Chinese crewmates, stay on the station for a limited time, and then return to Earth with two members of the previous crew. This would leave one Chinese astronaut to potentially complete a full year-long stay aboard Tiangong.
Tiangong, a three-module orbital outpost, was completed in late 2022. China aims to keep the space station operational for at least a decade, with the expectation that it will outlive the International Space Station. Furthermore, Pakistan is also collaborating with China on the International Lunar Research Station, which is planned for construction in the 2030s.
What are your thoughts on this collaboration? Do you think this is a positive step towards international cooperation in space exploration? Share your opinions in the comments below!
