Pakistan plans Moon landing by 2035, expands space cooperation with China

Pakistan sets 2035 Moon landing target as space programme expands, minister says (representative image) Pakistan aims to land on the Moon by 2035 as it expands its space programme, planning minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Sunday, announcing that the country's first astronaut would embark on a space mission from China on November 25.Addressing the concluding ceremony of World Space Week 2026 in Narowal district of Punjab province, Iqbal said cooperation with China would help Pakistan advance its space exploration ambitions.Pakistan’s “first astronaut will embark on a space mission from China’s space centre on November 25, while the country aims to achieve a lunar landing by 2035,” he said, according to news agency PTI.The minister highlighted the growing role of space technology in agriculture, communications, climate monitoring, education and national security. He stressed that scientific research and space exploration were important for technological advancement.First Pakistani astronaut to travel to China’s space stationThe upcoming mission is part of wider cooperation between Pakistan and China in space science and technology. According to Reuters, two Pakistani candidates, pilots ...