STORY: China steps up global collaboration on planned lunar research station
SHOOTING TIME: Sept. 5, 2024
DATELINE: Sept. 6, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:57
LOCATION: HEFEI, China
CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of space exploration of China
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WU WEIREN, Director and chief scientist of Deep Space Exploration Lab (DSEL)
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ADRIANA MARAIS, Director of the Foundation for Space Development Africa

STORYLINE:

Through global cooperation, China is set to construct an international lunar research station (ILRS) with a network linking the moon's south pole, equator and far side by 2050.

The blueprint was revealed at the second International Deep Space Exploration Conference that kicked off Thursday in Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province.
   
The ILRS is a scientific experimental facility designed to be an expandable and maintainable system capable of long-term robotic operation with short-term human participation on the moon.

In 2017, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) officially launched the ILRS cooperation initiative to the international community. To date, over 40 institutions from across the world have signed cooperative documents with China.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WU WEIREN, Director and chief scientist of Deep Space Exploration Lab (DSEL)
"World space exploration has spanned 120 years, and China's space endeavors have been underway for 70 years. Over the past 70 years, space technology, space science, and space applications have profoundly transformed the world. China, as a major space power, has the responsibility to provide a platform for scientists and researchers from across the world."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ADRIANA MARAIS, Director of the Foundation for Space Development Africa
"Let me voice my excitement about collaboration between China and Africa. This is an exciting time for the planet in terms of the challenges we face and the possibilities for space exploration and collaboration to contribute to solving these challenges. So already, China and Africa collaborate on an education level, on a science level, and on a partnership level for exploration, particularly of the moon. So today already, we had a workshop with many countries from Africa, together with other countries from around the world, talking about collaboration for the lunar exploration program."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hefei, China.
(XHTV)