Lunar research station a cradle for international space talents

HANGZHOU -- The International Lunar Research Station, initiated by China and involving multiple countries, is not only a hub for engineers and a laboratory for scientists, but also a cradle for international deep space talents, said a representative of a regional center for space science and technology education affiliated to the UN.

China is vigorously promoting the education and training of talents for the ILRS. Many top Chinese universities have established world-class education systems through years of efforts, featuring world-leading faculties, curricula and research environments, and have trained many outstanding space engineers and scientists for the world, according to Jing Guifei, deputy director of the Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (RCSSTEAP) affiliated to the UN.

The regional center plans to leverage the aerospace resources of Chinese universities over the next decade to offer extensive international talent education and training programs to all ILRS participating countries and organizations, Jing announced at a recent three-day conference commemorating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the RCSSTEAP.

The ILRS is a visionary project aimed at establishing an expandable and maintainable system capable of long-term robotic operation with short-term human participation on the moon, said Ling Fei, deputy director of the international cooperation and exchange center of the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL).

Hosted by Beihang University, the RCSSTEAP is the sixth center established under the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. As of September 2024, the RCSSTEAP had cultivated 395 master's and doctoral students from 33 countries, and had conducted more than 30 short-term training courses -- training over 2,000 participants from more than 70 countries.

To date, several Chinese universities have been involved in the ILRS education and training programs, such as Beihang University, the University of Science and Technology of China, Northwestern Polytechnical University and others, Jing said.

He noted that programs will encompass a range of disciplines, including space engineering, lunar science and project management tailored for master's and doctoral degree education.

"Through the close integration of theory and practice, we aim to cultivate high-end engineering, scientific and management talents, capable of leading future deep space exploration and technology development for all participating countries," he said.

Engineer Doctor Seyi Festus Olatoyinbo, executive director of the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in English Language affiliated to the UN, said they are quite excited about the fact that China is taking the lead in lunar research studies.

"We can bring in experts to join the programs and train the younger generation about what lunar research is going to involve. I am very excited to partner with China on education and training endeavors," he said.

Driss El Hadani, deputy director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), highlighted the need for more international cooperation and the need for building capacities for space activities, especially for lunar activities.

"I think the regional center in China is offering a new and outstanding opportunity to all member states to develop their capacity in the field in lunar activities. The regional center is in line with the UNOOSA strategy of supporting and fostering cooperation among all actors," Driss El Hadani said in an interview with Xinhua.

Wu Yanhua, chief designer of China's Major Deep Space Exploration Project, announced that the ILRS aims to achieve the following cooperation goals in the next 10 years: signing agreements with 50 countries and international organizations; establishing agreements between 500 research institutions; and engaging no fewer than 5,000 international scientists and engineers in joint participation. To date, nearly 20 countries and international organizations and over 40 non-government international entities across the world have signed ILRS cooperation documents with China, Wu said.

"With the principles of equality and mutual benefit, peaceful use, and win-win cooperation, we welcome all countries to participate in the ILRS program, share the achievements, jointly improve outer space governance, and promote aerospace science and technology achievements to better benefit all mankind," said Hu Zhaobin, deputy director of the DSEL.

China's Chang'e 7 lunar exploration mission will carry six international scientific instruments, and Chang'e 8 will offer 200 kilograms of international payload capacity, according to Liu Yunfeng, deputy director of the China National Space Administration's international cooperation department, at a press conference in June.

The Chang'e 7 mission, scheduled for launch around 2026, is poised to survey the lunar south pole region. The Chang'e 8 probe will be launched around 2028 to carry out experiments on lunar resource utilization and, along with Chang'e 7, constitute the basic model of the ILRS by 2035.