Pakistan and China have reached a historic agreement to send a Pakistani astronaut to the Chinese Tiangong Space Station, marking the first time the Chinese government will train astronauts from a foreign nation.

The "Cooperation Agreement on the Selection, Training of Pakistani Astronauts and Participation in China's Space Station Flight Mission" was signed on February 28 by officials from the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSE) and Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) in Islamabad.

CMSE Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang and SUPARCO Chairman Mohammad Yousaf Khan inked the agreement, which paves the way for the selection of a Pakistani astronaut.

The selection process is expected to take about a year, after which the astronaut will undergo training in China. Following training, Pakistani and Chinese astronauts will conduct several short-duration missions aboard the Tiangong space station over the coming years.

The Tiangong Space Station, operational since 2022, orbits Earth at an altitude between 217 and 280 miles (340 to 450 kilometers). This agreement signifies a significant step in international collaboration in space exploration, with Pakistan becoming the first country to send an astronaut to China's space station.