The Fifth China International Space Technology Exhibition opened
on November 24 in the Beijing Exhibition Hall. The Global
Navigation Satellite System or the Galileo Program, an initiative
launched by the European Union (EU), and China's re-entry module
Shenzhou V became the spotlights of the exhibition. Items on
display also included space food, space clothing, parachutes and
moon-buggies.
This is the first cooperation between China and the EU Galileo
Program Commission. Major Chinese aerospace scientific-research
manufacturing enterprises and remote sensing, geographic
information system and GPS technology application research
manufacturing enterprises, as well as EU's Galileo Program
participants, made their debut at the exhibition at the same
time.
During the exhibition, an international conference on satellite
navigation technology is also on-going, in which European and
Chinese experts in space technology and application introduce
up-to-date space application technology, research developments of
the Galileo Program, relevant commercial plans and Chinese
policies.
The Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has
officially been approved by the EU Council of Ministers. With a
group of 30 satellites distributed in three inclined orbits, the
program is estimated to cost 3.6 billion Euros.
The arrival of the Galileo Program participants will help build
up a cooperative platform for Chinese and foreign experts to
conduct technological exchanges in the field of applied satellite
technology. The exhibition will last four days to November 27.
This year's exhibition is undertaken by the China Great Wall
Industry Corporation with the support of the Commission of Science,
Technology and Industry for National Defense, China National Space
Administration, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation.
The first China International Space Technology Exhibition was
held in 1994.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Tingting and Daragh Moller, November 26,
2003)