President Macron’s State Visit To China Highlights Sino-French Space Cooperation

On 6 November 2019, on the event of President Emmanuel Macron’s state go to to the Individuals’s Republic of China, Centre nationwide d’études spatiales (CNES) President Jean-Yves Le Gall and Zhang Kejian, Administrator of the China Nationwide Area Administration (CNSA), signed within the presence of Presidents Macron and Xi Jinping a joint assertion protecting two fields of investigation.

First, in 2023 China’s Chang’e-6 lunar mission will fly the French DORN instrument proposed by the IRAP astrophysics and planetology analysis institute. DORN’s science objectives are to review the transport of volatiles by means of the lunar regolith and within the lunar exosphere and lunar mud. Earlier this 12 months on 25 March on the Elysee Palace in Paris, CNES and CNSA had beforehand expressed their intention to work collectively on Chang’e 6. Chang’e is the lunar exploration programme being carried out by CNSA, which particularly landed the Chang’e four probe in January this 12 months on the darkish aspect of the Moon and set down the Yutu-2 lunar rover on its floor.

Second, within the subject of Earth commentary, the 2 businesses will pursue water cycle analysis collectively and collectively develop a satellite tv for pc for this function. The satellite tv for pc might embody a complicated L-band interferometry radiometer developed by CNES for soil moisture and ocean salinity observations, and a high-resolution dual-frequency X-/Ka-band interferometry radiometer from CNSA to measure snow water equal and floor freeze-thaw standing. All of those information will likely be vital to raised understanding local weather change.

After right now’s signature, Jean-Yves Le Gall commented: “We’re persevering with to step up our partnership with China in house, as this new joint assertion exhibits. Firstly, by means of scientific examine of the Moon, the exploration of which is ready to be the mantra for house missions within the coming decade; and secondly, by means of the examine of Earth’s water cycle to raised perceive local weather change, one of many major challenges going through our planet. I thank President Macron and his Chinese language counterpart for attending this signing ceremony, which confirms the significance of house cooperation in France and China’s relationship.”