Dr Stephen Hobbs, Director of Cranfield Space Research Centre and Mr Nan Yu, a PhD researcher at Cranfield University, attended the 9th UK-China Workshop on Space Science and Technology, held in Shanghai 28-30 May 2014.

This event is the ninth in a series of annual workshops organised by the National Laboratory for Aeronautics and Astronautics (China) and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (UK). This year’s event was the biggest yet, demonstrating the reflection of the warm relationship between the two countries’ space authorities and the growing volume of research and commercial collaborations.

Topics of discussions focused on remote sensing and climate change; planetary exploration and space weather; quantum sensing and space science experiments; technology exploitation and commercial. Networking provided the opportunity for both countries to exchange the latest achievements in space science and technology and explore new international collaborations.

The workshop included a Space Science and Technology training course, which has twice been successfully organised in the UK, thus strengthening both laboratories’ roles in space science and technologies.

Beijing Institute of Space Mechanics and Electricity (BISME) invited Cranfield University to attend the workshop. Dr Stephen Hobbs, Director of Cranfield Space Research Centre attended the workshop and presented Cranfield’s research in space technologies. Nan Yu, who is undertaking his PhD with the EPSRC Centre in Ultra Precision, represented the Centre Director, Prof Paul Shore, and gave a presentation on the Centre’s behalf. He introduced the special purpose machine tools designed and manufactured at Cranfield used for fabricating space optics, as well as the key scientific programmes the Precision Engineering Institute has led.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed at the workshop between Cranfield University and BISME with the aim of both parties collaborating in the field of large optical fabrication and metrology.

The collaboration will enable BISME and Cranfield to define new methods and instruments for producing many advanced components needed within future space systems.

Professor Paul Shore, Head of Cranfield’s Precision Engineering Centre and Director of the EPSRC Centre in Ultra Precision said “I am delighted as this MOU with BISME sets out foundations for applying expertise at Cranfield in ultra precision engineering and space systems within the incredibly demanding programmes at BISME.”