Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday announced that it will send its first astronaut to space in 2022 using close ally China’s satellite launching facilities.
Pakistan’s decision came as India on Monday successfully launched its second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2.
Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Science and Technology, said the selection process of the astronaut for the space mission would start from February 2020.
“Proud to announce that selection process for the first Pakistani to be sent to Space shall begin from February 2020. Fifty people will be short listed. The list will then come down to 25 and in 2022 we will send our first person to space. This will be the biggest space event of our country, Chaudhry said in a tweet.
Chaudhry said the Pakistani Air Force will play a lead role in the selection process for the space mission.
“The process starting from 50 initial selectees will narrow to one person who would go into the space,” he said.
Also read: Pakistan urges world to condemn ‘Mission Shakti’, China calls for peace in outer space
Good. Pakistan need to shed its image as a terrorist nation. Hope Imran Khan transforms the nation to a nation of scientific and technological craving country. While on the subject I invite readers to watch my video- Homage to Pandit Nehru by p g joseph- in YouTube. Let Pakistan follow the footsteps of Nehru ji, a dreamer, charmer and achiever.
They’re transcription us! Isn’t he the same guy who said “Hubble Telescope, which is the world’s biggest telescope and was sent (into space) by Suparco, which is installed in a satellite”. This guy is a big joker. I wonder how he became minister of science &technology.. by the way. If happened. Hoping safely return of chosen astronaut.
Why does Pakistan want send an astronaut into space atop a Chinese space rocket when it does not have a proper indiginous space programme? Only for optics? False pride? Saudi Arabia sent a wahabi space man into space on an American space craft. So what? Did it do anything else except for a few days of chest thumping. Pakistan instead shoud start with developing a proper space programme, develop its own launch vehicles considering that it designs and develops its owm missiles (very doubtfull), develop the ability to send its own satellites using its indiginously developed rockets. Learn from us..look where we are with ISRO. When Capt. Rakesh Sharma went up in a Soviet Union Soyuz spacecraft India already had a vigorous space programme..
Wah ! If not on terra firma, may Indian and Pakistani astronauts meet in outer space, enjoy a drink and kebabs together.