Mr Yang Baohua (right), President of CAST, signing the pact with Professor Philip Chan, Acting President of PolyU.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) today announced the establishment of a Joint Laboratory in Precision Engineering for Space Applications.
Mr Yang Baohua, President of CAST, has led a six-member senior delegation to sign this important pact with Professor Philip Chan, Acting President of PolyU on 15 November.
Under the agreement, CAST will donate sophisticated equipment amounting to the value of RMB5million for the new Laboratory. These include a vibration platform and vacuum/thermocycling chambers for shock, vibration and space flight condition simulated testing. In addition, both parties will jointly invest RMB10 million of research funding for the Lab in the next five years, and the research work will be carried out under the supervision of a Steering Committee.
This is the second important deal signed by PolyU and CAST within six months’ time. During PolyU President Professor Timothy Tong’s visit to Beijing in June 2010, the University and CAST also signed an agreement to formalize research collaboration between two parties relating to China's lunar exploration programme.
PolyU enjoys close working relationship with national space authorities. During the past two months, the University has already received three senior delegations, namely from CAST, the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre and the Centre for Space Science and Applied Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Established in 1968 with the late famous aerospace scientist Qian Xuesen as its founding President, CAST is currently the most important research and engineering base for past, present and future space flight missions on the Chinese mainland. It is an integral unit of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
With its track record and strong links to space authorities at home and abroad, PolyU researchers are now actively engaged in several projects ranging from the making of sophisticated space tools and moon maps to monitoring the health of astronauts under micro-gravity condition. PolyU will establish one or two special Research Institutes to support the further advancement of space research, and explore the possibility of turning its space technology for civilian use in the future.
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