HEFEI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The International Deep Space Exploration Association (IDSEA), an international academic organization dedicated to deep space exploration, was officially launched on Monday in Hefei.

This association was jointly initiated by the Hefei-based Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration, the Chinese Society of Astronautics, the Chinese Society of Space Research and the French initiative "Planetary Exploration, Horizon 2061." The founding of the IDSEA was also co-sponsored by 20 academicians from China and 31 international scientists.