Khurram Daud (Pilot) Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Khurram Daud

• Khurram Daud hails from district Hyderabad of Sindh, Pakistan.

• In 2015, he served in the Pakistan Navy with the rank of Acting Lieutenant Commander (Operations).

• By 2019, Daud had built a career in Pakistan Navy aviation and held the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He served abroad a P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, which the Navy used for long-range maritime surveillance.

• In February 2019, during the tensions between Pakistan and India after the Pulwama attack, Daud and fellow Pakistan Navy aviation officer Lieutenant Commander Humair Iftikhar were abroad a P-3C Orion when the aircraft detected an Indian Navy submarine.

• In August 2019, Pakistan President Arif Alvi approved the Tamgha-i-Basalat for Daud in recognition of his performance during the 2019 Indian Pakistan tension.

• In 2020, he had reached the rank of Commander in the Pakistan Navy.

• In 2026, Daud was selected as one of Pakistan’s two astronaut candidates for China’s human spaceflight program. Muhammad Zeeshan Ali another Pakistan Air Force officer was selected alongside him. They were shortlist by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

• In April 2026, he began astronaut training in China alongside Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and became the first Pakistani astronaut candidates selected to train for China’s space-station missions.

• His training in China included Mandarin lessons, spacecraft-system training, centrifuge exercise, and preparations for living and working in microgravity.

• In an interview, he shared that his experience as a military pilot helped him meet the physical demands of the selection process, particularly the high G-forces associated with spaceflight.

• By September 2026, Daud was still training in Beijing alongside Zeeshan Ali. They were preparing for a possible mission to China’s Tiangong Space Station with the final selection expected in mid-to-late October 2026.
  

  Khurram Daud (left) with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (middle) and his fellow astronaut Wing Cdr Muhammad Zeeshan Ali (right)

• If selected for the mission, Khurram Daud would serve as a payload specialist and conduct scientific experiments in space rather than serve as the spacecraft’s pilot.