Space conference in China unveils future trends of deep space economy

The future development of deep space economy is expected to focus on sectors such as energy, internet services, tourism and cultural creativity, with the global market scale reaching trillion-dollar levels by 2040, according to a space conference held on Thursday in east China's Anhui Province.

The details were shared by Shi Pingyan, chief engineer of China's Deep Space Exploration Lab, in a report at a sub-forum of the third International Deep Space Exploration Conference held in Hefei City from Thursday to Friday.

The report highlights ten major areas of focus for this deep space economic upturn fueled by the development and utilization of extraterrestrial resources. These sectors include resource exploitation, internet services, energy, biology, transportation, smart technologies, construction, tourism, security and cultural creativity.

Shi said that China's deep space exploration is progressing from scientific research and technological breakthrough to a new phase of economic empowerment and industry-driven development. The deep space economy is poised to become a core engine for cultivating new quality productive forces and driving the upgrade of the aerospace industry.

He also called for international cooperation, technology innovation, government guidance and commercial impetus to develop the deep space economy.

The third International Deep Space Exploration Conference, themed "Near-Earth Asteroids," focuses on asteroid detection, planetary defense and resource utilization.