Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, northeast China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of students in Harbin Institute of Technology working on nano satellite
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Qiu Shi, ASRTU project leader, Harbin Institute of Technology (starting with shot 1):
"The ASRTU project is an extension of our previous Lilac Sat Projects. All the members who worked on the Lilac Sats are now working on the ASRTU project."
3. Various of signboard reading ASRTU
4. Various of space equipment
5. Various of students working on nano satellite
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Ren Nanqi, Vice President, Harbin Institute of Technology (starting with shots 5):
"Nano satellites cost less and are easier to launch. While they have great commercial values, the technology also enables students to explore and get hands-on experience during their study."
7. Various of students
8. Various of former cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov being interviewed, badge
9. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Pavel Vinogradov, pilot-cosmonaut, S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (partially overlaid with shot 10):
"(When I was) in space, I have worked with teammates from different countries including France, Germany, the U.S., Italy and Japan. It felt like we were living as a family. Nano satellites are very important in every area, not only in the space industry. We can build an alliance, in which physicists, doctors, anthropologists can join together, in which the talents from every country are united, so that we can better know each other and learn together. It is beneficial to every country."
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10. Hands of Pavel Vinogradov
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11. Various of satellite models

A joint project of nano satellite between Chinese and Russian students is underway in northeast China's Harbin City in Heilongjiang Province.

Weighing just over 10 kilograms, the Lilac Sat No. 2, was successfully launched three years ago. It is the first satellite entirely designed and built by students. And it was all undertaken at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). Now, the group is moving onto a new project, the ASRTU.

"The ASRTU project is an extension of our previous Lilac Sat Projects. All the people who worked on the Lilac Sats are now working on the ASRTU project," said Qiu Shi, the project leader.

ASRTU stands for the Association of Sino-Russian Technical Universities. Established in 2011, the association decided to move beyond just an alliance of over 50 universities from China and Russia by letting the countries' students get hands-on experience.

"Nano satellites cost less and are easier to launch. While they have great commercial values, the technology also enables students to explore and get hands-on experience during their study," said Ren NanQi, vice president of the HIT.

Two student-built satellites are expected to launch aboard a Russian rocket in 2020. And there are plans to make the two satellites share data with each other so that two countries can share the resources and information.

While the ASRTU project gives students a chance to peek into the space, real-life astronauts think space exploration needs collaboration with different countries, and it is important to figure out ways to work in an international setting.

"(When I was) in space, I have worked with teammates from different countries including France, Germany, the U.S., Italy and Japan. It felt like we were living as a family. Nano satellites are very important in every area, not only in the space industry. We can build an alliance, in which physicists, doctors, anthropologists can join together, in which the talents from every country are united, so that we can better know each other and learn together. It is beneficial to every country," said Pavel Vinogradov, pilot-cosmonaut in S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia.