A Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 crewed flight mission as a payload specialist, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Saturday.
After completing a short on-orbit flight, the Pakistani astronaut will return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft.
The mission will mark the first joint flight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China's manned space program.
In February 2025, China and Pakistan signed a cooperation agreement in Islamabad on the selection and training of Pakistani astronauts for flight missions aboard China's space station, officially launching the selection process.
Following a rigorous three-stage screening and evaluation process, two Pakistani candidates were chosen as reserve astronauts.
After completing training in China and passing all assessments, one of the two will be assigned to the crewed flight mission, while the other will serve as the backup astronaut.
First foreign astronaut to board Chinese space station
Russia on Friday said its forces launched one massive strike and 11 group strikes against Ukraine in the past week, while Ukrainian authorities reported on the same day that Russian airstrikes from Thursday evening to the early morning of Friday damaged energy infrastructure in several parts of the country.
According to a report by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the 12 strikes hit Ukrainian defense industry enterprises, logistics centers, power and transport infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, production and storage facilities of cruise missiles, ground robotic systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, ammunition depots, and temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries.
Additionally, multiple Ukrainian port facilities used to receive, store and distribute military cargo were disabled, the report said.
Russian air defense systems also shot down one guided aerial bomb, four Flamingo long-range cruise missiles, six Neptune long-range cruise missiles, two U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 5,315 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles in the past week, according to the report.
Ukraine's Air Force said in a social media post on Friday that Russian forces launched 227 attack drones into Ukraine overnight from Thursday evening to Friday morning. As of 8:00 Friday, Ukrainian air defense and electronic warfare units had shot down or suppressed 196 of the drones, while 22 sites across Ukraine came under attack.
The Kiev Regional Military Administration said on the same day that residential buildings and energy infrastructure in the region were hit by airstrikes, leaving three people injured. The Kirovohrad Regional Military Administration also reported sustained Russian air assaults on the region overnight, resulting in damage to local energy infrastructure.
Russia claims 12 strikes in past week, Ukraine reports damaging of energy facilities
