Advanced payload designs and international cooperation will drive the future of space science, according to experts at the opening ceremony of the 2024 International Space Science and Scientific Payload Competition on Monday.
This year's competition was jointly organized by the Chinese Society of Astronautics, the Beijing Institute of Technology, the International Academy of Astronautics, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The competition attracted nearly 200 teams from more than 50 countries and regions, with over 1,000 participants in total. Of these, 30 teams from 10 countries and regions advanced to the final, which was held on Monday in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
During the opening ceremony, a special round-table discussion was held to let experts exchange insights on payload development.
Niu Aimin, vice president for International Cooperation at USPACE Technology Group Limited, and Xu Yansong, director general of the Education and Training Department at the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, shared their thoughts and expectations for the future of payload design during the talks.
"I would be very excited to see some interesting payloads to be developed which can be easily adapted to the complexity of the planet, which should look like a hedgehog and something like a ball with legs which can be easily retractable," said Niu.
"I have two in my mind, one of them is the hard X-ray observatory that we're planning to launch for astrophysics and observatory purposes. And another one is the lunar missions on the south pole that we can find lunar volatiles in the future to pave the way for us to go far beyond the moon. So we understand that we are studying the possibility of deposit of water to better understand the formation of the moon and to also use that as a steppingstone for future missions," said Xu.
Olivier Contant, executive director and Academician at the International Academy of Astronautics, highlighted the importance of payloads with smaller form factors, faster speeds, and higher resolution to enhance satellite capabilities.
"Developing payloads for satellites, the smaller, the fastest and we can have very high resolution. So including the resolution, this kind of satellite will be also something probably very innovating, and you have a lot of work in front of you to all try to figure out all these," said Contant.
Xu and Contant also emphasized the importance of international cooperation, citing the successful launch of China's Chang'e-6 lunar mission as a prime example of what can be achieved through collaboration between nations.
"Competition makes the pace faster, but cooperation may make us go further. Because we need to have a collaborative effort of all international communities to play together. We do have a successful cooperation on the Chang'e-4 and Chang'e-6, putting a number of instruments on board the lunar surface and also on orbiting missions. I think also there is also a share of samples that has returned from the Chang'e-6 [from the] far side of the moon is also a very exciting part. I think the key word is to share and to work together," Xu said.
"I was very glad to see the launch of Chang'e-6 thanks to the CNSA (China National Satellite Administration) and I was with a lot of teams from France, from different countries all participating and assisting the launch, and all put great payloads on this mission. And it's beautiful to see, and I think there should be more interviews, we should convey more information. And the academy has conveyed this information and will continue so far as transferring this international cooperation," said Contant.
Global partnerships to foster advancement of space probe payloads: experts
UN agencies have reacted with regret to the United States' decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The decisions were announced as part of a sweeping series of executive orders signed by U.S. President Trump on his first day in office on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic underscored the agency's crucial role in protecting the health and security of people around the world, stressing that it responds to health emergencies in dangerous places where others cannot go.
"The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the organization," said the spokesman.
"WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world's people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, and often in dangerous places where others cannot go," he said.
Jasarevic highlighted WHO's success in saving countless lives over the course of the past decades, all with the support of the U.S.
"For over seven decades, WHO and the United States of America have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication. American institutions have contributed to and benefited from membership in WHO," he said.
The U.S. joined WHO in 1948 after a joint resolution was passed by both chambers of Congress. The resolution requires the country to provide one year's notice to leave the organization.
The spokesman expressed hope that the U.S. will reconsider the decision.
"We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the United States of America and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe," he said.
Also at the press conference, UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke highlighted the UN health agency's importance in the international humanitarian system.
"The world lives longer, healthier, perhaps a little bit happier because of WHO. So, I noted that, Tarik mentioned that, WHO is in places where others cannot go, and that is exactly where we need our colleagues from WHO, in Gaza, in Yemen, in Afghanistan, everywhere, in Sudan. It is an indispensable part of the international humanitarian system," Laerke said.
Adding her voice to the chorus of reactions, Clare Nullis from UN's weather agency World Meteorological Organization commented on the new U.S. administration's decision to withdraw from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
"The need for Paris Agreement is pretty obvious. We reported two weeks ago that 2024 was the hottest year on record, we temporarily hit the 1.5-degree Celsius level," she said. A legally binding international treaty on climate change, the Paris Agreement was adopted by 196 parties at the COP 21 conference on climate change. Its main goal is to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Nullis said that climate change is making global weather more extreme, accounting for a rise in weather-related disasters, such as the recent deadly wildfires in California.
"The United States of America accounts for the lion's share of global economic losses from weather, climate and water-related hazards and I'm quoting here from US figures. According to the US figures, the US has sustained more than 400 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages or costs exceeded 1 billion US dollars," she said.
"We look at climate change from the perspective of decades, even centuries, rather than a four- or five-year term in office, and as what our Secretary-General has said, it is the defining challenge of our time," Nullis concluded.
UN agencies regret U.S. decision to withdraw from WHO, Paris Agreement on climate change