Pakistan astronaut to be first foreigner on China's station

Two Pakistani pilots have spent months training at China's astronaut center in Beijing. Their names: Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud. On Saturday, China's Manned Space Agency said one of them will fly. He'll join the Shenzhou-24 crew as a payload specialist. That makes him the first foreign national ever to set foot on China's Tiangong space station.

This is bigger than one flight. Pakistan and China are close allies already, and this cements it in orbit. China has flown its own astronauts to Tiangong for years, but never let in an outsider until now. The seat comes through China's Belt and Road Initiative, the infrastructure program it uses to build influence worldwide. Whoever gets picked returns quickly, too. It's a short stay. He comes home aboard the older Shenzhou-23, not the new craft he launches on.

Keep reading — what to watch

Will other countries get the same offer? China has talked for years about opening Tiangong to the world, the way the International Space Station invites partner nations. A Pakistani astronaut would be the first real test of that promise. If more nations follow, China's station becomes a genuine rival in space diplomacy, not just hardware.