On the afternoon of February 25, the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the People's Government of Anhui Province, and the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) hosted the inauguration ceremony of the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL). ZHANG Kejian, Director of CNSA, ZHENG Shanjie, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Anhui Province committee, WANG Qingxian, Governor of Anhui Province, and BAO Xinhe, Principal of USTC, unveiled the plaque of the laboratory together. Fellow leaders and experts from CNSA, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (NSFC), China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), Anhui Province, and the city of Hefei attended the ceremony.
ZHANG Kejian pointed out in his oration, the founding of DSEL is a specific advance of CNSA’s implementation of the Innovation Driven Development Strategy and the “Three New and One High" Strategic Requirements, as well as an advance in building an aerospace power, and a paradigm of promoting deep administration-province collaboration.
Following co-construction protocols and organization schemes of DSEL, CNSA would promote the construction and operation of the laboratory, and the mutual developments of major national construction projects and regional economy. CNSA would also adapt a variety of measures to enhance China’s aerospace abilities, for instance, supporting DSEL to take on missions like the fourth phase of Lunar Exploration Project (LEP) and planetary exploration, leading seminars and projects such as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), developing large apparatus regarding deep space exploration, fostering major international programs like lunar research stations, favoring assemblies of global talents, conducting the transformation and utilization of frontier technology, sustaining the planning and the construction of Hefei’s “deep space science city”, and assisting the strategic layout of Anhui’s “Three Place and One Region” program.
WANG Qingxian addressed that deep space exploration is a significant aspect of aerospace activities, as well as a future arena for technology competitions between great powers. Founding DSEL is an important action for deploying an aerospace power and strengthening the innovation power of Anhui, following policies of the Party Central Committee, with the latter’s core being President XI Jinping. Additionally, founding DSEL serves as an aggressive move in the game of shaping future industries. The Province of Anhui endeavors to assist the DESL, including uniting all parties to promote innovations and the transformation of technologic products, enhancing service assurance, motivating researchers’ creativity, and promoting deep space industries to accumulate in Anhui, to contribute to China’s core technologies, and to boost a high-quality development of Anhui.
(Inauguration Ceremony of DSEL. Photo by Division of Science and Technology, USTC.)
BAO Xinhe pointed out that founding DSEL is in accordance with not only CNSA’s quest to build an aerospace power, but also Anhui’s vision of building a global center for innovations. Foundling DSEL also manifests USTC’s duty of serving national strategies. In order to respond to DSEL’s research units, USTC would assist the laboratory in aspects like building talent teams, training graduate students, and scientific research, contributing USTC’s strength towards building DSEL and an aerospace power.
DSEL is co-constructed by CNSA, Anhui Province, and USTC. Its headquarter is located at Hefei, with a subdivision in Beijing. It is a novel scientific research institute that meets with global aerospace frontier and China’s aerospace strategies. Research regarding overall technology, emerging interdisciplinary disciplines, space science spectrum, and basic frontier science will be conducted.
DSEL aims to be a synthetical platform for major deep space exploration programs, a power to tackle with core technologies, a source of original progress, and a collaboration center for international mega-science programs. By looking ahead and striving, DSEL is forged to become an important platform for transforming technology progress and developing emerging industries, as well as a focus on the talented and innovation.
(Written by SONG Xizhe, edited by JIANG Pengcen, USTC News Center)
