Will send our first person to space in 2022, says Fawad Chaudhry

Published
553
"Proud to announce that selection process for the first Pakistani to be sent to space shall begin from Feb 2020," shared Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry. — DawnNewsTV/File
"Proud to announce that selection process for the first Pakistani to be sent to space shall begin from Feb 2020," shared Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry. — DawnNewsTV/File

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday announced that Pakistan will send its "first person to space" in 2022.

"Proud to announce that selection process for the first Pakistani to be sent to space shall begin from Feb 2020," he shared. "Fifty people will be shortlisted — list will then come down to 25 and in 2022, we will send our first person to space."

"This will be the biggest space event of our history," added the PTI minister.

Speaking to Dawn.com, Chaudhry said that the Air Force will be the custodian of the selection process, adding that all around the world pilots are selected for space missions. He said that initially 50 pilots will be selected, from which the list will be brought down to 25 and then 10. The federal minister said that 10 pilots will be trained and eventually one pilot will be sent to space.

Read: Pakistan steps forward in astronomy and space sciences

Chaudhry said that there is an agreement between Pakistan and China and as the country does not have its own satellite launching facility, a Chinese facility will be used, as done previously.

Opinion

Editorial

An opening
Updated 03 Nov, 2026

An opening

If this brief opportunity for peace is wasted, sparking a wider conflict, the blame will rest squarely with the US president and the bloodthirsty Zionist regime.
Pakistan’s G-24 role
03 Nov, 2026

Pakistan’s G-24 role

PAKISTAN’S new role as chair of G-24 comes at a crucial moment for the Global South. Developing nations are...
Learning from polio
03 Nov, 2026

Learning from polio

THE eighth polio case of 2026, involving a 13-month-old girl from Khyber’s Bara tehsil, raises an important...
Without consequence
Updated 02 Nov, 2026

Without consequence

From drone attacks to online harassment and legal intimidation, the methods of silencing reporters are multiplying, with little fear of punishment.
Climate diagnosis
02 Nov, 2026

Climate diagnosis

THE Lancet Countdown’s latest findings should change how Pakistan thinks about illness as much as how it thinks...
Fighting harassment
02 Nov, 2026

Fighting harassment

WORKPLACE harassment is often narrowly defined as sexual misconduct. A resolution passed by the National Assembly on...