Sources say July 10 in Paris that European Space Agency (ESA) and China National Space Administration (CNSA) have signed a cooperative agreement on space exploration.

According to the contract, two satellites provided by the ESA will be sent into the space with the China-made carrier rocket--Great Wall 2C in December 2002 and March 2003 respectively. They will be put into the orbits near the Pole and equator for exploring the movement of the earth's magnetic layer and impact produced by the magnetic storm on space communications and the living environment of human beings.

This plan is only a start for the further cooperation between CNSA and ESA, said Luan Enjie, Director of China National Space Administration (CNSA). And ESA's official pointed out that this is another landmark of great importance on sci-tech cooperation between the two parties after the first agreement signed some twenty years ago.

(People’s Daily 07/11/2001)