The International Deep Space Exploration Association, the world's first sci-tech organization dedicated to deep space exploration, came into being in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, on Monday.

More than 100 scientists and representatives from the China National Space Administration, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Anhui provincial government, the China Association for Science and Technology and foreign embassies in China took part in the organization's founding ceremony. 16 international entities, including the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the International Astronautical Federation, and more than 70 government agencies, space organizations, research institutes and universities around the world sent congratulatory messages to the event.

According to a media statement published after the ceremony, the IDSEA was jointly proposed by four Chinese entities — the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration, the Chinese Society of Astronautics and the Chinese Society of Space Research — and the French initiative "Planetary Exploration, Horizon 2061".

After over two years of preparation and with endorsements from 20 Chinese academicians and 31 foreign scientists, the association received approval from the State Council, China's Cabinet, in April and has registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs as an independent, nonprofit international scientific organization. It has also become the first international organization to be headquartered in Anhui.

The statement noted that President Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the development of deep space exploration. He has emphasized that space exploration is a shared endeavor of humanity and urged steady advancement in interplanetary exploration, it said, adding that the association's establishment represents a concrete step in meeting these requests.

During the conference, the association's charter was approved, and its first council was elected, with Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as the inaugural president.

The organization will focus on lunar exploration, interplanetary missions, mitigating asteroid hazards and other relevant fields.

The association's founding marks a significant milestone in China's international space exchange and cooperation, and represents joint efforts of innovation in the global space community.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn