European space bodies join China's deep-space conference in Hefei

The 2026 Deep Space Exploration (Tiandu) International Conference in Hefei saw the unveiling of a Moon Village Center - China in collaboration with the Moon Village Association, per the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory. The event also featured MOUs with the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, according to CGTN. The conference aims to deepen international cooperation in sustainable deep space exploration.

Bottom line — The Moon Village Association and Academia Europaea are among European partners at the Chinese-led conference.

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• Wu Weiren, Chinese Academy of Engineering academician, presented a new book and reviewed deep space exploration trends, according to the conference press release.
• Donald Dingwell, President of the Academia Europaea, discussed lunar surface engineering geology, per the same source.
• Ulpia-Elena Botezatu, Co-Chair of the UN COPUOS Action Team on Lunar Activities, updated on team progress, the release said.
• The Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) signed an MOU with the International Deep Space Exploration Association, as reported by CGTN.
• The conference released the inaugural issue of the international academic journal Deep Space Exploration, according to the press release.
• Strategic cooperation agreements were signed with Huawei Technologies and the Publishing House of Electronics Industry, the release stated.
• The Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission was discussed by Hou Zengqian, a CAS academician, per the conference press release.
• LandSpace’s Vice President Liu Jian shared progress on the Zhuque-3 reusable rocket, the release added.

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