International Cooperation in Space Science

Wu Ji is the president of the Chinese Society of Space Research (CSSR) and former Director General of the National Space Science Center (NSSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He is full member of IAA (International Astronautics Academy), life fellow of the IEEE, foreign member of Russian Academy of Sciences. He once served as the vice-president of Committee for space research (COSPAR, 2010-2018), member of Advisory Board of Luxembourg Government for Space Resources (2017-2022), and member of the Advisory Committee of UAE Space Agency (2018-2020). He was a key figure in space science programs in China and served as the head of the Strategic Priority Program on Space Science of CAS (Phase I), the chief designer of the application system of Double Star Program, principle investigator of Yinghuo-1, and the project manager of scientific payload system of Chinese lunar exploration program Chang'e-1 and Chang'e-3.

Alvaro Giménez graduated in physics (1978) and obtained a PhD in astrophysics (1981). He took up duty as Director of Science and Robotic Exploration (D/SRE), and Head of ESAC, European Space Agency, near Madrid, Spain, on 1 May 2011. As of 1 January 2016, he was reappointed as D/SCI for a term of four years. The Directorate of Science is responsible for the mandatory Science Programme of the Agency, and to advise and support other programmes managed in other directorates. After his term in ESA, he returned to Spain as Research Professor and director general of the CSIC Foundation for the promotion of science and its connection with society at large. His research has been focused on the understanding of the internal structure of the stars through the analysis of eclipsing binaries.