From July 2 to 5, the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD), the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO), and the National Space Research and Development Agency of Nigeria (NASRDA) jointly hosted a landmark workshop on advanced crop condition remote sensing monitoring. The event, aimed to enhance agricultural resilience and food security in Nigeria and West Africa, witnessed the inauguration of the first overseas center under the CropWatch Innovation Cooperation Program (CropWatch-ICP) in the region.

On July 8, 2024, the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Beijing with the Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte (UFRN) of Brazil to boost further collaboration.

On June 20, 2024，Clarivate Analytics released the latest Journal Citation Reports (JCR), revealing significant achievements for the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. All five English-language academic journals sponsored by AIR have entered the Q1 category in their respective international disciplines, establishing a leading cluster of scientific journals in the global aerospace information field.

Among the international payloads onboard is the laser retroreflector INRRI (INstrument for landing-Roving laser Retroreflector Investigations), a joint development by the National Laboratory of Frascati, National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN-LNF) and the Planetary Mapping and Remote Sensing Laboratory from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Mounted on the top panel of the Chang’e-6 lander, and successfully deployed on the far side of the moon, INRRI, which functions as a mirror for laser beams, aims to be the first laser retroreflector absolute control point on the moon’s far side. It will provide support for high-precision positioning on the lunar surface and the orbit determination and navigation of lunar orbiters.

At 6:23 a.m. on June 2, the Chang'e-6 lander successfully landed in the pre-selected landing area of the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon and began the drilling sample and surface extraction with drilling tools and robotic arms. The lunar penetrating radar effective payload developed by the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) undertakes the task of subsurface detection before drilling and sampling. The lunar penetrating radar serves as an x-ray machine of geologists, allowing scientists to study the layer structure information beneath the Moon’s surface before sampling.