|
 |
The Hong
Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) warmly welcomed Academician WU Weiren—Chief
Designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Programme, Academician of the Chinese
Academy of Engineering, Director and Chief Scientist of the Deep Space
Exploration Laboratory, and Chairman of the International Deep Space Exploration
Association—who delivered a talk titled “Chasing Dreams in Space, Exploring the
Cosmos” at the Jockey Club Auditorium on campus on 16 September 2025.
Academician Wu visited Hong Kong at the invitation of the China Soong Ching Ling
Foundation to participate in “A Master Lecture For Children”, an event co-funded
by the Institute of Philanthropy and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust,
with The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups as a strategic partner and
supported by the Hong Kong Rosamond Foundation Company Limited. During his
visit, Academician Wu graciously made time to visit PolyU. During the talk, he
shared insights with more than 600 students, faculty, alumni and guests on the
Nation’s latest developments and strategic plans for its aerospace missions.
Academician Wu Weiren is a leading expert long engaged in research and
engineering practice in aerospace telemetry, tracking and communications and in
systems engineering for deep space exploration. Academician Wu and his team have
led various historic missions in the Chang’e Programme, making significant
contributions to the Nation’s lunar and deep space exploration. He and his team
are currently advancing the construction of the International Lunar Research
Station (ILRS), a China‑initiated, multinational project.
Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, PolyU President, said, “Every step taken by the Nation’s
aerospace researchers advances humanity’s quest to explore the unknown. As one
of the most distinguished leaders in China’s aerospace field, Academician Wu has
elevated the Nation’s deep space exploration technologies to a world-leading
level. His invaluable experience and visionary insights inspire young students
to explore the cosmos and ignite their passion for chasing their dreams in
space.
Deep space exploration is one of PolyU’s strategic research domains, and the
University has been engaged in aerospace innovation for more than 30 years. As
our country continues to make breakthroughs in aerospace technology and deep
space exploration, PolyU is honoured to be part of this journey—standing as the
only university in Hong Kong to have participated in multiple national space
missions. Looking ahead, PolyU remains committed to cultivating outstanding
research talent and driving innovation in related fields, helping to build the
Nation into a space power.”
In his talk, Academician Wu reviewed the history of global space exploration and
introduced the Nation’s landmark achievements in various space projects,
including the manned space programme, lunar exploration, BeiDou Navigation
Satellite System, and high-resolution Earth imaging satellite system. In just
two decades, China completed the three phases of “orbiting”, “landing” and
“returning”, achieving several world firsts. The Chang’e-5 mission, carrying out
China’s first extraterrestrial sample-return mission and analysis of the lunar
soil samples revealed the sixth new mineral discovered on the Moon — Changesite-(Y),
contributing to humanity’s expanded understanding. Academician Wu also
highlighted that over 30 locations on the Moon have been named with elements of
Chinese culture, including the landing site of Chang'e-4 — the first soft
landing on the far side of the Moon — which has been named Statio Tianhe,
breaking the long-standing dominance of Western countries in lunar naming
rights. He also mentioned that many universities and research institutions in
Hong Kong have been actively involved in the Nation’s deep space exploration
missions, with research teams, including those from PolyU, helping to ensure the
safe lunar landing and sample collection of the Chang’e series, as well as the
safe landing of the Tianwen-1 mission on Mars.
After the talk, Academician Wu engaged in a dialogue session with PolyU
students, which was moderated by Prof. WU Bo, Fiona Cheung Professor in Spatial
Science, Associate Head (Research) of the PolyU Department of Land Surveying and
Geo-Informatics, and Associate Director of the Research Centre for Deep Space
Explorations. He discussed various issues with a PhD student from the Department
of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, a master student from the Department of
Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering, and an undergraduate student
representative of the University’s Astronomy Club. During the session, a student
asked what role artificial intelligence (AI) will play in future deep space
exploration projects amid its rapid development. Academician Wu believes that,
in the AI era, large-scale deep space exploration projects often involve tens of
thousands of personnel and cannot be carried out solely by traditional methods.
The application of AI will facilitate intelligent astronautics, exploration,
control, communication, navigation and more.
Read the full story at
PolyU Media Releases.
|
On
29 September 2016, Dr. Bo Wu was invited to give a CPD (Continuing Professional
Development) talk for HKIS (Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors) members about "3D
Mapping from Multi-Platform Multi-Sensor Data in Urban Areas". In the CPD talk,
Dr. Wu presented the latest developments in photogrammetry and data fusion for
accurate 3D mapping in urban areas by integrating multi-platform multi-sensor
remote sensing data. Dr. Wu also shared his experience and views in
developing novel 3D mapping technologies and the impact of the advancement of
geomatics to smart city development.
