A Muslim astronaut will be on China’s Tiangong space station for the first time since signing an agreement with the country to take one.
The China Manned Space Agency ( CMSA ) and Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission ( SUPARCO ) signed the agreement at a ceremony held on Friday in Islamabad. Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, was not existing at the meeting.
Both countries will work together to select and train Pakistani astronauts, according to a speech from CMSA, with the winner slated to visit Chinese taikonauts for a short-term objective in the coming years.
This represents a significant step in China’s international area assistance, according to Global Times, highlighting the expanding collaboration between Beijing and Islamabad in aviation progress.
China’s space station, which has been operational for almost four years, was constructed after the country was reportedly barred from the International Space Station ( ISS) due to concerns over the involvement of China’s military in its space program.
Additionally, the place is seen as a brand-new US-China rivalry.
Following past collaborations, such as the start of Pakistani satellites, the deal further strengthens China’s assistance for Pakistan’s space ambitions, according to the news agency PTI.
In 1990, Pakistan’s first digital communications satellite, Badr-1, was launched aboard a Chinese Long March 2E rocket, and earlier this year, Pakistan’s CubeSat led China’s Chang ‘e-6 probe to the Moon.
The selection of the astronomer is expected to take around a year, according to Global Times, and the applicant will then go through extensive education in China. According to experts, this action demonstrates the dependability of China’s manned storage systems and its willingness to reduce barriers for developing nations to participate in storage exploration.
China has also set lofty goals for storage investigation, with the intention of having pilots orbit the Moon by 2030.
The US is aiming to return to the moon’s area by 2025, in the meantime.
