Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal announced on Sunday that Pakistan's first astronaut will embark on a space mission from China on November 25. Speaking in Narowal, he said the flight would leave a Chinese space centre and framed the trip as a milestone for the country's space programme.
The minister addressed the concluding ceremony of World Space Week 2026. His remarks put a clear date on a long-awaited first: a Pakistani crew member travelling to space under a China-linked mission plan.
Mission date and lunar goal
According to Ahsan Iqbal, the astronaut's journey is scheduled for November 25. He did not name the astronaut or give full technical details of the flight in the remarks reported from Narowal, but he confirmed that the launch point would be in China.
Looking further ahead, the minister said Pakistan aims to achieve a lunar landing by 2035. That target places human spaceflight and longer-term lunar ambitions on the same public timeline, even as day-to-day mission specifics remain to be filled in by official briefings closer to the November flight.
Space museum planned in Narowal
Alongside the launch announcement, Iqbal set out plans to establish Pakistan's first Space Museum at the University of Narowal. He linked the project to promoting scientific awareness, tying a local education site to the national story of spaceflight.
World Space Week events often mix public outreach with policy messages. In Narowal, the closing ceremony became the platform for both the astronaut date and the museum proposal, suggesting the government wants students and the wider public to see space science as something reachable, not only distant.
What comes next
The next concrete marker on the calendar is November 25, when Pakistan's first astronaut is due to fly from China. Between now and then, further official updates would normally cover crew identity, training status, and how the mission fits into wider cooperation with Chinese space facilities—none of which were detailed in Sunday's announcement.
Separately, the 2035 lunar landing aim and the Narowal museum plan point to a longer track: building public interest now while setting a distant exploration goal. For now, the confirmed news is the November departure date, the China launch site, and the minister's stated ambitions for the moon and for science education at home.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan ka pehla astronaut 25 November ko China se space mein jaayega. Yeh baat Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal ne Narowal mein kahi. Mulk 2035 tak chand par landing ka target bhi rakh raha hai. Narowal University par pehla Space Museum bhi banaya jaayega taake logon mein science ki dilchaspi badhe.
