In a landmark advancement for space education, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) officially inaugurated its School of Space Exploration on Tuesday in Beijing. The ceremony took place at the prestigious Chinese Academy of Sciences memorial hall honoring the “Two Bombs, One Satellite” project pioneers, symbolically connecting China’s historic aerospace achievements with its ambitious interstellar future.
UCAS President Zhou Qi declared the establishment responds to humanity’s new era of space exploration. “We have already stepped beyond Earth—building a space stations, exploring the far side of the moon, and launching missions to Mars,” Zhou stated. “It is now time to think strategically about building the interstellar travel enterprise of the future.”
The school, approved in November 2025, will develop an extensive curriculum spanning 14 first-level disciplines and specialties. Building upon 97 existing courses, it will introduce 22 innovative core subjects including interstellar dynamics and propulsion principles, space environment perception and utilization, planetary dynamics and habitability, and the groundbreaking field of interstellar sociology and governance.
Academician Zhu Junqiang, director of the CAS Bureau of Strategic High-tech Development, was appointed as the school’s inaugural dean. He emphasized that interstellar navigation represents a complex, systematic engineering challenge that cannot be solved through isolated disciplinary breakthroughs. The school will integrate aerospace engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science around the grand objective of interstellar travel.
President Zhou acknowledged the overwhelming public interest following the school’s initial announcement, explaining that the deliberate pace of implementation reflected a commitment to substantial long-term planning rather than “the glamour of the moment.” He paid tribute to the pioneering spirit of the “Two Bombs, One Satellite” generation whose work under challenging conditions laid the foundation for contemporary space achievements.
The institution is designed to be inherently interdisciplinary and collaborative, with over 100 CAS research institutes connected to its mission. Zhou highlighted that interstellar travel will present multifaceted scientific and practical challenges—from navigation and space weather to spacecraft engineering, space agriculture, and even interstellar diplomacy—requiring unprecedented institutional cooperation.
A central focus will be talent development, with Zhou emphasizing that “the heart of a school is nurturing people.” He called on all participating institutes and experts to prioritize student growth and provide platforms for them to “see farther and go farther.” The school is positioned to serve as both an innovation source and training base for China’s long-term interstellar navigation development, while simultaneously building a scientific system that addresses humanity’s common future needs in space exploration.