Congratulations to Prof. Yung Kai-leung, Director of the University Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations (RCDSE) and Prof. Wu Bo, Associate Director of RCDSE on receiving the Outstanding Award (Individual) for China’s Lunar Exploration Mission Chang’e-5 and Outstanding Award (Individual) for China’s First Mars Exploration Mission, respectively.

Presented by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China National Space Administration and four other ministries, the Awards recognise individuals and groups who have made distinguished contributions to the Nation’s lunar and Mars missions. The PolyU team’s contribution to the Chang’e-5 mission was also recognised with a group award.

PolyU President, Prof. Jin-Guang Teng congratulated the two professors and said the University will continue to push forward the frontiers of technology and science and contribute to other national space missions.

In 2020, in collaboration with the China Academy of Space Technology, a team led by Prof. Yung developed and manufactured the “Surface Sampling and Packing System” for the Nation’s Chang’e-5 mission, the first lunar sample return mission. The system automatically collected and packed lunar surface sample following the soft landing of the Chang’e-5 probe.

In 2021, China landed a spacecraft and a rover on Mars for the first time in the Tianwen-1 mission. In collaboration with national space institutions, Prof. Wu and his team identified safe and scientifically valuable landing sites on Mars for Tianwen-1 using advanced topographic mapping and geomorphological analysis technologies.