2 weeks Ago By News Desk
China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Wednesday said that following the signing of a cooperation agreement between China and Pakistan at the end of February, the selection process for Pakistani astronauts is now underway. Similar to the selection process for Chinese astronauts, it consists of three stages: preliminary selection, secondary selection, and final selection. The preliminary selection is being conducted in Pakistan, while the secondary and final stages will take place in China, CMSA spokesman Lin Xiqiang said in response to a question asked by APP at a press conference held at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
Ultimately, two Pakistani astronauts will be chosen to undergo training in China, he added. According to the flight mission plans for the China Space Station and the progress of international cooperation, one Pakistani astronaut will participate in a joint spaceflight mission as a payload specialist. In addition to daily crew duties, the astronaut will also be responsible for operating scientific experiments on behalf of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, China is in discussions with other countries regarding their astronauts’ participation in missions to the China Space Station, with further updates to be released at an appropriate time. In a related development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, calling China a very trusted friend and a strategic partner, has said that Pakistan was keen to increase cooperation with the country in the fields of space technology, space satellites, telecommunications, and satellite internet. In a meeting with a delegation from the Chinese space technology company Galaxy Space, led by the company’s Chairman Xu Ming, in Islamabad on Tuesday, the prime minister said that Pakistan gave great importance to the space technology sector.
The delegation members also showed keen interest in investing in Pakistan’s space technology industry and joint projects with Pakistani space institutions as well as private telecom companies. Thanking the Government of Pakistan for warm hospitality, they told the prime minister that their meetings with officials from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and SUPARCO were very useful. The meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Advisor to PM Dr Tauqir Shah and officers from other relevant government departments.
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