China to ship pak astronaut as 1st overseas visitor to its range station

China will send a Pakistan astronaut as a guest at its space station. China has announced to send an astronaut from Pakistan as the first foreign guest at Tiangong Space Station. According to China’s Human Space Flight Program operating agency (CMSA), China and Pakistan have signed an agreement on Friday. The agreement states that China will choose Pakistani astronauts for space missions and also training.

Pakistan is considered close to China and both countries are strengthening their partnership in the space sector. According to a report by China’s official newspaper Chena Day-TO-Day, the CHINA Manned Range Company (CMSA) and Pakistan’s agency Range and Higher Situation Analysis Fee (Suparco) signed during a ceremony at Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also attended the ceremony.

China has also been launching a satellite for it for the last few years to help its close ally Pakistan. This is part of China’s cooperation in the space sector. China’s space station Tiangong is currently traveling 400 km above the Earth. It has been circling the Earth’s orbit for the last four years. It is considered a rival to Russia’s space station MIR.

Why did China make its separate space station?
China needed to build its own separate space station because China was excluded from the International Space Station (ISS). So China created Tiangong. China was shown the way out because Western countries were concerned that China’s Space Program operates the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This Space Station of China has now become a new competition between China and the US.