Full coverage: China Astronautics Day

For a long time, the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics has been the cradle for China's space industry talent. Today a special competition was held on campus to mark the day and shape the future.

They are the astronauts and spacecraft engineers of the future. Today, their mission is to portray the spacecraft of the future, using the best of their imagination.

"I came here to be a pilot one day or even to become an astronaut. And I am lucky to be in the University to learn the design of an aircraft," Student Chen Junliang said.

These elementary students are also making their first model plane. Dreams of space can start from very young. Today could be a day of enlightenment for some.

Going to space takes generations of accumulated efforts, technology and knowledge. However, above all, it is the dream that has brought us here today. And that is what we should nurture with care.

China’s aerospace authority, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation have been working with universities for a long time. The annual future spacecraft concept competition has been quite fruitful over the years, with many innovative creations.

"Every year, out of five of our new recruits, one came from here. There are a lot of projects we are working on with the university as well. We hope that by holding this competition, university students could have more passion and curiosity about space exploration, and join China’s space projects in the future," Lu Hongbo, deputy director of Third Division of CASIC, said.

It is a day to remember the past, but it is also a day to dream of the future. And the future is in their hands.