In June 1987, with the approval of the Ministry of Aerospace Industry, Harbin Institute of Technology established China’s first college dedicated to training high-level aerospace professionals and conducting cutting-edge aerospace research—the School of Astronautics. For over 30 years, generations of faculty and students at the school have remained committed to the Chinese Dream and the dream of space exploration. More than 10,000 graduates have gone on to serve on the front lines of China’s aerospace industry.

The school is home to five first-level disciplines—Mechanics, Optical Engineering, Control Science and Engineering, Aeronautical and Astronautical Science and Technology, and Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering—all of which are authorized to confer both master’s and doctoral degrees. Among these, Mechanics, Control Science and Engineering, and Aeronautical and Astronautical Science and Technology have been selected for China’s national “Double First-Class” development initiative.

The school currently has 359 faculty positions, including 224 full professors and 121 associate professors. It counts 8 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering among its faculty. Including research and support staff, the school has 238 full senior-level professionals and 206 associate-level professionals, with 59 national-level distinguished experts and 58 nationally recognized young talents. The school boasts 332 doctoral supervisors and 133 master’s supervisors, with 1,779 doctoral students and 1,766 master’s students currently enrolled.

The School of Astronautics leads or participates in a large number of major research platforms, including:

three national key laboratories (led by the school),

two national key laboratories (co-founded),

two national-local joint engineering laboratories (research centers),

one international joint research center, and

eight provincial or ministerial-level key laboratories.

In the past five years, the school has received 3 national-level science and technology awards and 33 provincial or ministerial-level science and technology awards. It has undertaken over 1,000 national and provincial research projects and more than 1,500 aerospace-related industrial projects, with a total research funding exceeding 3.5 billion yuan.