With debt-burdened economy, Pakistan eyes Moon landing by 2035: Can China help make its space ambitions a reality?

Pakistan has set an ambitious target for a 2035 Moon landing as it prepares to send its first astronaut into space aboard a Chinese spacecraft. The move underscores Beijing’s growing influence over Islamabad’s space ambitions and raises questions about whether the debt-laden country can develop independent capabilities amid rising inflation and poverty.Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the country’s first astronaut would undertake a space mission from a Chinese space centre on 25 November, according to Dawn.The planning minister also outlined Pakistan’s target of achieving a lunar landing by 2035, expressing hope that its partnership with China would propel the country’s space exploration ambitions.However, the mission will rely heavily on Chinese infrastructure, technology and expertise.The astronaut will fly aboard a Chinese-built spacecraft launched from a Chinese facility, after undergoing training with Chinese instructors, as per the report.The selected candidate will serve as a “payload specialist”, focusing on conducting scientific experiments in orbit rather than piloting the spacecraft, according to the report.A SUPARCO official quoted by Reuters also indicated that the astronaut would be expected to communicate in Mandarin while in space.The mission marks a milestone for Pakistan’s space programme, but also highlights the extent to which its ambitions remain tied to Beijing’s technological capabilities.China holds key to Pakistan’s first human spaceflightPakistan’s planned human spaceflight is the latest development in a space partnership with China that dates back to 1990, when the two countries’ cooperation included the launch of Pakistan’s Badr-I experimental satellite, according to Space Cluster.Over the decades, Beijing has helped Islamabad expand its satellite capabilities, supporting communication and Earth-observation missions, including the Paksat series, Paksat-1R, Paksat MM1 and PRSS-1.In 2024, Pakistan’s ICUBE-Q lunar CubeSat travelled aboard China’s Chang’e-6 mission, which brought samples back from the Moon’s far side.Can Pakistan achieve a Moon landing by 2035?Iqbal expressed confidence that cooperation with China will help the country advance its space programme.Islamabad is also planning to contribute a Pakistani-built lunar rover to China’s Chang’e-8 mission, expected around 2028.The project could provide an opportunity for Pakistan to demonstrate its domestic engineering capabilities while participating in a Chinese-led lunar exploration programme, as per the report.Space ambitions versus economic realitiesPakistan’s space ambitions come against the backdrop of persistent economic challenges, including high public debt, poverty and dependence on external financial assistance.Although recent stabilisation efforts and support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have helped address some immediate pressures, the country continues to face structural weaknesses that constrain public spending and long-term investment.

Pakistan’s headline inflation rose to 7.1%, as per government data, while national poverty was estimated at 28.9%, affecting around 70 million people, according to an ANI report.