Experts from around world praise Chang'e-6 mission, urge cooperation

International guests invited to a workshop organized by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Friday spoke highly of the extensive global cooperation on China's Chang'e-6 mission and agreed to continue pursuing cooperation on lunar and deep space exploration.

About 50 guests from 12 countries and international organizations were invited by the CNSA to attend a workshop focusing on the international payloads carried by Chang'e-6 and witness its launch at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province.

The Chang'e-6 mission is expected to collect samples from the far side of the moon, making this mission unprecedented in human history. The mission is carrying four payloads developed through international cooperation, providing more opportunities for the world's scientists and merging human expertise in space exploration.

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Scientific instruments from France, Italy and the European Space Agency (ESA) are aboard the Chang'e-6 lander, and a small satellite from Pakistan is aboard the orbiter.

"We are very proud to be part of this historic mission," said Pierre-Yves Meslin, Detection of Outgassing RadoN (DORN) Principal Investigator from France, adding that he is looking forward to further space cooperation between the two countries.

Qamarul Islam, a professor at the Institute of Space Technology of Pakistan, expressed great appreciation for collaboration with China. He said the relatively small countries who are not able to go into space on their own should be given the opportunity to do some space research.

"All of us have a shared future," said Khalil-ur-Rahman Hashmi, Pakistani ambassador to China, adding that space cooperation on Friday's launch is a practical manifestation of sharing the benefits of technology with other countries and organizations.

"The very nature of space exploration encourages us to think of our planet as one, and encourages us to think of humanity together. It is absolutely key for us to continue our young journey out into the cosmos by working together," said Neil Melville-Kenney, a technical officer at ESA.

New partners for International Lunar Research Station

On this year's China Space Day, which fell on April 24, the CNSA declared that more partners, including one country and two international organizations, will participate in the construction and operation of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).

The new partners of the ILRS are Nicaragua, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, and the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences. China will collaborate with these three parties on various issues concerning the ILRS, including its demonstration, engineering implementation, operation and application, according to the CNSA.

Officials at the CNSA have signed agreements and memorandums of understanding on cooperation on the ILRS with relevant officials from the three sides. The construction of the ILRS will be carried out in three phases, with a basic model of the station expected to be completed by around 2030. The research station is designed to operate autonomously for extended periods, with periodic human involvement, said the CNSA. 

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: A view of the Long March-5 Y8 rocket, which carries the Chang'e-6 probe, at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Haikou City, south China's Hainan Province, May 3, 2024. /CFP)