On May 16, Academician Li Detian of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), Chief Scientist of Institute 510, China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), Director of the State Key Laboratory of Vacuum Technology and Physics, and Director of the Vacuum Science and Technology and Aerospace Engineering Research Center of NEU, delivered a special academic lecture titled "Vacuum Technology and Aerospace Engineering Applications" to faculty and students at the university.
Academician Li Detian took the expanding applications of vacuum technology as the core theme. He systematically reviewed the historical development of cosmic vacuum technology and comprehensively explained the research progress and engineering value of five core technological systems: vacuum testing and metrology, electric propulsion vacuum plasma, space environmental effects, surface engineering, and atomic frequency standard electro-vacuum. Li Detian noted that with the rapid development of the aerospace sector, vacuum technology has moved beyond the category of traditional foundational technologies. It has become a fundamental, critical, and indispensable core technology that supports the stable on-orbit operation of spacecraft, the implementation of deep space exploration missions, and the development and utilization of space resources. Focusing on the development trajectory of the aerospace sector in the new era characterized by “understanding space, utilizing space, and developing space,” Academician Li Detian highlighted the broad application prospects of vacuum technology in future frontier fields such as deep space exploration, extraterrestrial resource development and utilization, and very low Earth orbit development. He also provided a precise analysis of the current technological bottlenecks and key research directions in the field of aerospace vacuum technology.
At present, the fourth phase of the lecture series is in full swing. More than 10 high-level seminars will be successively delivered, and the events are open to faculty and students across the university. The series is expected to conclude in mid-June. The lecture series emphasizes the dissemination of frontier knowledge in vacuum technology and aerospace. It also promotes the continuous deepening of academic exchanges and scientific research cooperation between the university and leading aerospace research institutes. The initiative has injected strong momentum into the university’s discipline construction, scientific and technological innovation, and outstanding talent cultivation in the fields of vacuum technology and aerospace engineering.
