Two candidates have been shortlisted for Pakistan’s Human Spaceflight Programme by the Astronauts Centre of China (ACC), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.

In February 2025, Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) and China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) had signed a cooperation agreement. Under the pact, two Pakistanis would train in China, with one joining a mission on the Tiangong space station operated by Beijing.

In a press release, the ISPR said Suparco had “achieved yet another significant milestone in Pakistan’s Human Spaceflight Programme with the successful completion of the secondary phase of astronaut candidates’ selection”.

“Following an initial screening process in Pakistan, the candidates were shortlisted after undergoing comprehensive medical, psychological, and aptitude assessments conducted at the Astronauts Centre of China (ACC), in accordance with international human spaceflight standards,” the statement read.

As per the bilateral agreement, the two shortlisted candidates will undertake “advanced astronaut training” for six months at ACC. Upon completion of the training, one candidate will be selected for a spaceflight mission aboard the Tiangong space station in October / November 2026, the press release added.

The ISPR noted the cooperation was anchored on the bilateral “Astronaut Cooperation Agreement” signed in February 2025 “under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, “whose vision and support were instrumental in enabling Pakistan’s participation in human spaceflight”.

“This landmark initiative also reflects the strong support of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, which selected Pakistan as the first foreign partner in its astronaut programme,” the ISPR highlighted.

At the February 2025 signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement, PM Shehbaz had said that Islamabad, in collaboration with Beijing, would send its first manned space mission to China’s space station.

The CMSA later confirmed that two Pakistani astronauts would be trained in China, with one expected to join a future mission to the Tiangong space station as a payload specialist.

CMSA spokesperson Lin Xiqiang said the selected astronaut would conduct scientific experiments on behalf of Pakistan while also performing standard crew duties aboard the station.

He noted that the said the selection would follow the same three-stage process (preliminary, secon­dary, and final) used for Chinese astronauts.

China has been barred from particip­ating in the International Space Station since 2011, when the US prohibited Nasa from collaborating with Chinese space agencies. Since then, Beijing has sought to build partnerships with other countries — including Pakistan — in its expanding space programme.