CCSDS announced China National Space Administration as Newest Member Agency

The Consultative Committee for  Space Data Systems (CCSDS) today announced that the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has been accepted as the eleventh  full member  agency  of the  organization. China’s admission to the  organization marks the  first  addition  to the  membership  since  1997. As the  leading  international  organization  for space communication standardization, CCSDS relies on its agency members to provide technical engineering support to its working groups. The addition of CNSA to the membership of CCSDS indicates  the  continued,  broad  international  support  for  space  communication  standardization necessary to promote greater cooperation and interoperability among the space and ground assets of the major space exploration agencies around the world.

In  remarks  following  the  CCSDS  Management Council’s  (CMC)  approval  of  CNSA  as  the newestCCSDS Member Agency, Mike Kearney, CMC Chair, stated “Adding China’s expertise to the technical knowledge base of the CCSDS working groups will further  enable the CCSDS mission   of  enhancing   worldwide    governmental     and  commercial    interoperability  and   cross- support, while reducing operational risk, development time, and project costs.”

Cheng  Wang,  CNSA’s  primary  representative  to  CCSDS,  added  “The  China  National  Space Administration  expresses  its willingness to  participate  in  and  contribute  to  CCSDS. We  look forward   to  supporting    the  work   of  CCSDS   and  contributing   to  the  interoperability   of international space missions.”

CNSA was created in 1993 to define China’s national space policies and priorities. It has quickly become    an  important   player  in the  international  space   arena, with   cooperative   agreements between more than ten international space agencies. CNSA’s membership in CCSDS continues this trend of increased exposure and cooperation with the broader space community.

CNSA     has  already  begun   implementation    of  CCSDS     standards  on   some   of its spacecraft. CCSDS protocols were successfully used to enable interoperability between CNSA and ESA in 2007.  In  November     of  that  year  the CNSA   Chang’e   1  lunar-orbiting  spacecraft  transmitted telemetry signals to ESA tracking stations which then relayed telecommands back to the satellite. This successful cross-support exercise was enabled by the CCSDS developed Advanced Orbiting Systems protocols.

About CCSDS
Since its founding in  1982, CCSDS has provided a forum for discussion of common problems in the  development    and  operation   of  space  data  systems.   Through    the cooperation   of  its  10 international space agency members, more than 90 international space data standards have been developed. These standards have been implemented on more than 300 missions to date.