China establishes first international organization for deep space exploration

(ECNS) — The inaugural ceremony of the International Deep Space Exploration Consortium (IDEC) was held on Monday in Hefei, Anhui Province, marking the launch of China’s first international scientific organization dedicated to deep space exploration.

Proposed by five institutions — the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration, the Chinese Society of Astronautics and the Chinese Society of Space Research, and the French initiative "Planetary Exploration, Horizon 2061" — the consortium comes after more than two years of preparation.

Approved by China’s State Council in April, IDEC is now officially registered under the Ministry of Civil Affairs as a non-profit international scientific organization with independent legal status.

The initiative has already garnered support from 20 Chinese academicians and 31 scientists from around the world, reflecting a global collaboration in space exploration.

Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s Lunar Exploration Program and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, called IDEC "a milestone for China’s international aerospace cooperation and a testament to global scientific synergy. It will pool worldwide expertise, drive technological progress, foster cross-cultural exchange, and advance the vision of a shared future for humanity in outer space."

He invited scientists and engineers worldwide to join in unlocking the mysteries of the cosmos.

The consortium aims to serve as a hub for global scientific cooperation, accelerating humanity’s quest to explore the universe.