A Pakistani astronaut is set to join the crew of China's Shenzhou 24 spacecraft, becoming the first foreign national to visit the country's space station, Chinese state media reported Saturday.

According to the China Manned Space Agency, the Pakistani astronaut will undertake a short-duration mission aboard the space station before returning to Earth on the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. However, it did not disclose the launch date.

The mission will be the first joint spaceflight involving Chinese and foreign astronauts since China launched its human spaceflight programme, Xinhua said.

Earlier this year, Xinhua reported that two Pakistani candidates, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, had begun training alongside Chinese astronauts. One of them was expected to be selected as a payload specialist for the short-term mission.

The training programme includes practical operational exercises and intensive Chinese language lessons to prepare the candidates for the mission.

The planned flight is part of an agreement signed between China and Pakistan in February 2025.

China is currently working towards its first crewed lunar landing by 2030, while the United States, considered its main competitor in space exploration, aims to send astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028 under NASA's programme.