Int'l conference on deep space exploration held in east China

A launch ceremony of the Space Day of China is held in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, April 24, 2023.(Xinhua/Huang Bohan)

HEFEI, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The first International Deep Space Exploration Conference opened Tuesday in Hefei, the capital of east China's Anhui Province.

As one of the major activities held to celebrate the Space Day of China that falls on April 24, the conference aims to introduce China's plan for deep space exploration projects and promote in-depth cooperation with the International Lunar Research Station.

At the opening ceremony, the China National Space Administration and the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization signed a joint statement on the cooperation of the International Lunar Research Station.

After the ceremony, Wu Yanhua, chief designer of China's priority program on deep space exploration, and Wu Weiren, director of China's Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, gave keynote reports on China's deep space exploration and the International Lunar Research Station, respectively.

The two-day event invited more than 500 guests from 14 countries and regions, including representatives of foreign space agencies and international organizations, representatives of China's ministries, space agencies and organizations, research institutions and universities, as well as experts in deep space exploration and aerospace at home and abroad.

The participants will take part in reports, forums and seminars focusing on China's medium and long-term plans for deep space exploration, its cutting-edge technologies and academic achievements, as well as focus, hotspots and major projects of international deep space exploration, and international cooperation.

The conference was hosted by the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory and co-organized by the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, China Space Foundation, and the University of Science and Technology of China.