NAROWAL: Pakistan’s first astronaut will undertake a space mission from a Chinese space centre on Nov 25, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Sunday.

The minister made the announcement while addressing the concluding ceremony of World Space Week in Narowal, held in collaboration with the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), the planning ministry said in a statement.

According to the handout, the minister also said the country was aiming to achieve a lunar landing by 2035, expressing hope that Pakistan’s cooperation with China would help it “reach new heights in space exploration”.

In his address, Mr Iqbal highlighted the importance of space technology in agriculture, communications, climate monitoring, education and national security.

He stressed that scientific research and space exploration were essential for technological advancement, the statement said.

He further noted that Muslim scholars had once made significant contributions to astronomy and scientific discovery, calling for renewed efforts to restore Pakistan’s leadership in knowledge and research.

The astronaut will be one of the two — pilots Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud — who were selected in April this year as candidates for China’s manned space programme, and who have been undergoing training in Beijing.

China has not said which of the two will fly or when, but speaking to Reuters last month, Amer Gilani, who oversees human spaceflight cooperation at Suparco, said a final astronaut selection decision was expected in mid-to-late October.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2026