Moon samples to be displayed at 16th Airshow China
Beijing (ANTARA) — Samples from both the near and far sides of the Moon will be displayed at the 16th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China, the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) said on Tuesday.
Visitors will be able to examine the differences between lunar samples brought back by Chang’e-5 from the near side and Chang’e-6 from the far side, said Yi Lin, a SASTIND official, at a press conference in Beijing announcing details of the exhibition.
The aerospace exhibition is scheduled to take place from 7 to 13 December in Zhuhai, a coastal city in southern China’s Guangdong Province.
According to Zhang Hu, executive vice-governor of Guangdong, this year’s exhibition has been expanded, with indoor exhibition space reaching 135,000 square metres. More than 3,000 pieces of equipment are expected to be displayed, around 10 per cent of them for the first time.
More than 170 aircraft will be shown in the main exhibition area, Zhang said, while over 1,100 companies from nearly 50 countries and regions have registered to take part.
For the first time, the exhibition will use three venues: the main exhibition area in the central section, an area for unmanned equipment and an area for maritime equipment.
Recent achievements in China’s aerospace development will also be on display. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation will present various models, including the first-stage engine of a heavy-lift launch vehicle and the Tianwen-2 spacecraft. Meanwhile, Aero Engine Corporation of China will exhibit nearly 90 types of aircraft engines, advanced materials and other products.
A forum is also planned alongside the exhibition, providing a platform for industry exchanges on topics including the commercial space sector, space medicine and human health.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Airshow China. Since its inaugural event in 1996, the exhibition has served as an important showcase for the latest aviation and aerospace technologies and equipment from China and abroad. It has also provided an international platform for promoting business cooperation in aviation and aerospace technology and equipment.