India-Pakistan Moon race: With China's help, Pakistan wants to send humans to Moon five years before India

Pakistan has set a target of landing on the Moon by 2035 as it steps up cooperation with China on human spaceflight and lunar exploration. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal announced that the country’s first astronaut would embark on a space mission from China on November 25, according to news agency PTI. The announcements were made at the concluding ceremony of World Space Week 2026 in Narowal, Punjab province, on Sunday. Iqbal said collaboration with China would help Pakistan strengthen its space research capabilities and pursue more ambitious exploration goals.

Pakistan’s first astronaut to join China’s Tiangong space mission

Pakistan is preparing to send its first astronaut to space through its partnership with China’s human spaceflight programme. The selected candidate is expected to travel aboard a Chinese spacecraft and serve as a payload specialist on the Tiangong space station.

According to a Reuters report published in September, Pakistani pilots Khurram Daud and Muhammad Zeeshan Ali have been undergoing intensive training in Beijing. One of them is expected to be selected for the mission.


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Unlike a spacecraft commander, a payload specialist primarily carries out scientific experiments and other assigned research activities. The planned mission is expected to last around a week, with the astronaut travelling to and returning from the station using Chinese spaceflight infrastructure.

Pakistan does not currently have its own crewed spacecraft or independent human spaceflight launch capability. Its first astronaut mission will therefore depend on China's spacecraft, facilities and training programme.

The collaboration follows an agreement signed in February 2025 between Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and the China Manned Space Agency to prepare a Pakistani astronaut for a mission.

Pakistan-China space partnership includes lunar rover project

The two countries are also working together on lunar exploration. Pakistan is developing a lunar rover intended to participate in China's Chang'e-8 mission, planned for around 2028.

The rover is expected to use artificial intelligence-based imaging and navigation capabilities to identify obstacles, estimate distances and move across the lunar surface with a degree of autonomy.

Such capabilities are important because controlling a rover directly from Earth in real time can be difficult owing to communication delays between Earth and the Moon.

However, the planned rover mission and Pakistan's stated goal of a lunar landing by 2035 are separate initiatives. The rover project does not, by itself, establish that Pakistan has a confirmed crewed or uncrewed Moon-landing mission scheduled for that year.

The partnership also builds on cooperation in satellite launches and satellite-navigation technology, as both countries seek to expand their work in space science and research.

Pakistan plans first Space Museum at University of Narowal

Alongside the space mission announcements, Iqbal said Pakistan's first Space Museum would be established at the University of Narowal.

The proposed museum is intended to encourage interest in astronomy, space science and modern technology, particularly among students. The announcement was made during World Space Week, which was organised in Narowal in collaboration with SUPARCO for the first time.

Iqbal also highlighted the role of space technology in agriculture, communications, climate monitoring, education and national security. He said scientific research and improved access to education were important for technological progress.

The minister congratulated the University of Narowal on securing first place at the Islamabad Science Festival, citing the achievement as an example of the potential of young people in the country.

India’s space programme targets Gaganyaan, space station and Moon mission

India is pursuing its own human spaceflight and lunar exploration goals, with plans to launch astronauts into orbit, establish an indigenous space station and send an Indian to the Moon by 2040.

According to a statement made by the government in Parliament in August 2026, the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, carrying the humanoid robot Vyommitra, is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026. Two additional uncrewed missions are planned before the country's first crewed orbital mission, which is targeted for 2027.

India also plans to establish the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035. The proposed station is expected to consist of five modules, with the development and launch of its first module approved by the government.

A crewed Indian mission to the Moon is planned for 2040. Other projects include Chandrayaan-4, which aims to demonstrate technologies for bringing lunar samples back to Earth, and the Venus Orbiter Mission, designed to study Venus.

These milestones form part of India's broader Space Vision 2047, which aims to expand the country's human spaceflight capabilities and strengthen its position in space exploration.


Inputs from agencies