Pakistani to be first foreign astronaut on Tiangong

A Pakistani astronaut will join the Shenzhou-24 crewed flight mission as a payload specialist, the China Manned Space Agency said 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 programme. The Shenzhou-23 spacecraft carried the Hong Kong SAR's first astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, as part of a three-strong crew to the Tiangong space station in May. (With contributions from Xinhua) Edited by Robert Kemp