Speech by SITI at Seminar on New Space Economy - Breakthroughs and Opportunities organised by Maritime Silk Road Society (English only) (with photo)
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The Honourable Mrs Regina Ip (Co-Chair of the Maritime Silk Road Society), the Honourable Mr Bernard Chan (Co-Chair of the Maritime Silk Road, Honorary Sponsor), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. It is my pleasure to join you today at the Seminar on the New Space Economy, where we gather to discuss the breakthroughs and explore the opportunities on this front.
In recent years, the Chinese space programme has made remarkable accomplishments. From the BeiDou satellite navigation system, the Chang'e lunar mission, the Tianwen Mars mission, to the Tiangong space station, these achievements fully demonstrate the country's determination to accelerate the construction of a strong aerospace nation.
Last month, the country's new-generation manned launch vehicle, Long March-10 carrier rocket, has successfully completed its first static fire test. This marks a significant new milestone in China's manned lunar exploration programme, and is also a testament to the national engineering prowess.
To align with the national development direction, we are committed to leveraging our strengths to contribute to the country's needs. Hong Kong is home to five universities ranked among the world's top 100, and we have numerous internationally renowned research scholars, showcasing our robust foundation in basic research. We have consistently supported local universities and research institutions in playing to their strengths in basic research, including conducting aerospace-related studies and striving to participate in national aerospace and other technological projects.
We are delighted to see that research teams from local universities have been involved in multiple national aerospace missions, such as providing systems, instruments, and technical support for lunar and Mars missions, as well as sending research projects into national spacecraft for experiments, contributing to the country's aerospace development. A Hong Kong citizen has also been selected as a preparatory astronaut, specifically a payload specialist, under the National Manned Space Programme for the first time. Being able to participate in national aerospace projects is an immense honour for us, and it is truly encouraging for the innovation and technology (I&T) talents in Hong Kong, particularly the aerospace research community.
In addition to leveraging our research strengths, we are also dedicated to fostering global research collaboration. The Government has established the Hong Kong Space Robotics and Energy Centre (the Centre) under the InnoHK research clusters to participate in the Chang'e-8 mission, contributing to national aerospace development. The Centre, in collaboration with Mainland and overseas institutions, including the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and South African National Space Agency, will complete an international collaboration project appointed by the China National Space Administration's Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center and develop a multifunctional lunar surface operation robot with precise operation and wireless charging capability, which will carry out tasks such as scientific exploration, instrument deployment and installation under extreme lunar environments.
The Government will continue to invest in the development of I&T, including aerospace technology, with a view to developing Hong Kong into an international I&T centre and contributing to the country's development into a nation with strong science and technology.
Thank you, and I hope each of you will find the seminar and discussions ahead insightful. Thank you.
Ends/Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Issued at HKT 15:28
Issued at HKT 15:28
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