International deep space group founded in Anhui

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".