Higher education institutions have become the backbone of the development of the aerospace domain in Jiangning district of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province. The institutions have also taken center stage at the China Space Conference, a key event of the China Space Day celebration starting on Saturday.
About 26 colleges and 100 research institutions are located in the district, and many of them focus on aviation and space science, exporting plenty of top talents for both state projects and private aerospace technology development.
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics has provided abundant talents by educating about 170,000 graduates since its establishment in 1952.
A large number of alumni have participated in the design and production of prominent national projects, including Sun Zezhou, chief designer of the Chang'e 4 probe, Chen Zhonggui, chief designer of the third-generation satellite at the China Academy of Space Technology, and Wu Guanghui, chief designer of the C919 large passenger aircraft.
The school launched the Tianxun 1 satellite in 2011, becoming the fourth domestic university capable of developing satellites.
It has also undertaken relevant research and development tasks in major national aerospace projects such as the Tianwen 1 Mars probe, manned moon landing, space station construction, asteroid exploration demonstration, and dark matter detection satellites.
As one of the co-organizers of the China Space Conference, the university holds various activities. Among them, an educational forum for domestic youth is expected to attract 400 people. It aims to promote aerospace science as well as the development of innovative education.
It's also designed to encourage the exploration of education content in primary and middle schools and establish a long-term training model for aerospace professionals.
The forum will witness the initiation of a national aerospace science popularization activity for youth as well as a national aerospace school project.
Nanjing University of Science and Technology also cultivated more than 3,000 top-notch aerospace technology talents since its founding in 1953. During the China Space Day celebration, the school will carry out a forum centered on the coordinative development between the economy and national defense.
It has invited more than 30 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as entrepreneurs and well-known alumni, to discuss cutting-edge technologies such as spatial information perception technology, space on-orbit service and control technology, and aerospace propulsion and special material.
It will also demonstrate more than 30 key technology breakthroughs in six aspects: on-orbit service, advanced detection, advanced power, advanced manufacturing, cutting-edge basic research, and aerospace science education.
To popularize aerospace science, the school intends to give full play of its Qian Xuesen education base and organize a series of educational activities.
Academy and industry heavyweights will give about 20 lectures to local students, helping the students to expand their horizons and develop the next generation of aerospace aficionados.
