Published on: 2026-09-05
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
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Hefei, September 5 /Xinhua/ — China has officially launched a scientific program to create a satellite constellation in the space between the Earth and the Moon based on cooperation with a number of countries. This program aims to fill gaps in systematic observations of this space.
According to experts participating in the 2026 Tiandu International Deep Space Exploration Conference, held from Thursday to Friday in Hefei, the administrative center of Anhui Province in eastern China, the Cislunar CubeSat Constellation (C3) program will be open to scientists and research institutions worldwide, providing developing countries with the opportunity to participate in deep space exploration missions.
Cislunar space covers the range from low Earth orbits to a distance of about 2 million km from Earth. It represents a new frontier for expanding the scope of human activity and will become a key operational zone for future manned lunar missions and the construction of lunar research stations.
However, for a long time, human knowledge in this area was primarily based on isolated point observations, which led to insufficient spatial and temporal coverage, as well as a lack of data for key areas. In this regard, experts believe there is an urgent need for systematic continuous observations.
Deputy Chairman of the International Deep Space Exploration Association (IDSEA) Hu Zhaobin reported that 30 satellites in the 12U CubeSat format, each weighing up to 30 kg, will form a unified constellation for monitoring the space environment and detecting gamma bursts. According to the preliminary plan, the launch into orbit and deployment of all satellites will be completed around 2030.
Thanks to synchronized observations from several satellites located at different points in space, the constellation will enable complete tracking of the evolution of space weather events and improve the positioning accuracy of gamma-ray bursts to the level of sub-arcseconds.
After the completion of the project, the study of near-lunar space will shift from intermittent point observations to networked continuous monitoring, providing key data-driven support to ensure crew safety during lunar surface landings and research at the forefront of science and technologies related to the near-lunar space environment.
“We look forward to cooperating with partners around the world to expand the boundaries of human knowledge about deep space,” emphasized Hu Zhaobin.
The initiative was jointly launched by the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory /DSEL/ and IDSEA with the support of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization.
The program also includes the organization of technical training for specialists and the development of unified interface standards, which will allow developing countries to participate in deep space research projects at a more advanced level.
Research institutes from Thailand, Serbia, Egypt, Senegal, Indonesia, and other countries have already joined the initiative.
The first stage of engineering development has already been launched, and the overall design justifications for major systems – satellites, payloads, tracking and control systems, and other components – are nearing completion.
The DSEL Laboratory was officially opened in February 2022. Since its establishment, it has established partnerships with more than 60 international research institutions.
In July 2025, the laboratory, together with a number of other organizations, initiated the creation of IDSEA, which is the first international academic structure in China specializing in deep space research. -0-
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