The guests unveil the plaque of the International Association for the Exploration of the Far Space during the inauguration ceremony of the association in Hefei, in the province of Anhui, in eastern China, July 7, 2025. (Photo: Zhou Mu)
The international association for distant space exploration (International Deep Space Exploration Association, IDSEA), an international academic organization dedicated to the exploration of distant space, was officially launched on Monday in Hefei, capital of the province of Anhui, in eastern China.
This initiative marks a key step in global collaboration aimed at advancing space technology and building a shared future community for humanity in extra-Atmospheric space.
The association was created jointly by the Laboratory for the exploration of the distant space based in Hefei, the Lunar Exploration and Spatial Engineering Center of the National Administration of the Espace de China, the Spatial Navigation Society of China, the Chinese Spatial Research Society and the French initiative “Planetary Exploration, Horizon 2061. The creation of IDSEA has also been co -produced by 20 Chinese academicians and 31 international scientists.
Wu Weiren, chief designer of the Chinese and academic lunar exploration program of the China Engineering Academy, was elected first president of the association.
He stressed that the creation of the association was of great importance for international exchanges and cooperation within the framework of the Chinese space program, constituting a crucial stage towards collaborative innovation within the global space community.
He said the association would focus on areas such as lunar exploration, planetary exploration and defense against asteroids. It will conduct studies on international spatial exploration of spatial exploration, will organize international university events, will encourage global talents in the field of space sciences and technologies, will participate in the development of standards and rules concerning the extra-Atmospheric space and will promote the peaceful and sustainable use of it.
Mr. Wu warmly invited scientists and engineers around the world to join the association and contribute to the world exploration of the universe.
Although it arrived late in the field of space exploration, China quickly established itself as a leading player in this field, demonstrating its commitment to cooperate with other countries.
In April, China announced that seven institutions in six countries-France, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States-had been authorized to borrow samples from the Moon collected by the Chinese Mission Chang’e-5 for scientific research.
China has also invited international partners to participate in its missions on Mars. The country plans to launch its mission to return Martian samples Tianwen-3 around 2028, with the main scientific target, the search for signs of life on Mars.
The sampling of samples on Mars, a first in the history of humanity, is considered to be the most difficult technical exploration mission from the Apollo program.
