Baoyin Hexi Professor
Faculty Team
Astrodynamics and control
Sending youth into deep-space orbit
START is led by 20+ Tsinghua University undergraduates — from science goals to orbit design, from spacecraft systems to public outreach. This is deep-space exploration with students genuinely standing at every mission station.
01MENTORS
Faculty Advisers
A faculty team in astrodynamics and control stands watch the whole way — student-led, expert-checked.
Bin Cheng Assistant Professor
Mission Chief Scientist · Faculty Adviser
Astrodynamics and Control Laboratory; contributed to China's Tianwen-2 asteroid mission
Li Junfeng Professor
Faculty Team
Astrodynamics and control
Wang Zhaokui Professor
Faculty Team
Spacecraft systems
Wang Tianshu Professor
Faculty Team
Spacecraft dynamics
* Faculty photos will be added upon personal authorization · roster as publicly stated
02TASK SQUADS
Four task squads, one flight chain
Science Squad
SCIENCE
Science goal definition · observation planning · data analysis strategy
Mission Design Squad
MISSION DESIGN
Orbit design · electric-propulsion transfer strategy · flyby encounter geometry
Spacecraft Squad
SPACECRAFT
Spacecraft architecture · subsystem integration · payload selection
Outreach Squad
OUTREACH
Public communication · partnership liaison · member recruitment
Members fromSchool of Aerospace EngineeringXingjian CollegeDushi CollegeDepartment of AstronomyZhili CollegeAcademy of Arts & Design
2025-07 · Zhou Peiyuan National Mechanics Competition
Space Orbit Design team event · the sole Grand Prize
128 teams from 53 universities competed head-to-head; ours cleared 125 targets with the highest metric score nationwide. The five members then set their sights on a farther target — an asteroid named Apophis.
Wu Yixuan · Yu Yuhang · Huang Zhecheng · Yu Zhongyang · Tang Zijie
03SUPPORT & PARTNERS
University × Commercial Space × Society
A mission budget of about US$2.8 million comes from university support, donations, and sponsorships — with the launch rideshare, the electric propulsion system, and camera components all backed by commercial space partners. This is the low-cost commercial deep-space paradigm itself.
LandSpaceGalaxySpaceEDRIVE SpaceCGST (Chang Guang)MinoSpaceParateraDreameSmart SatelliteXingyi Space
* Partner list as publicly announced · in no particular order
04MISSION LOG
Mission Progress
START debuts at the Apophis T-3 international workshop
The mission was presented to international peers for the first time at the Apophis T-3 Years workshop in Padua, Italy; SpaceNews covered the mission design and progress in a dedicated article.
Subsystem integration advances; prototype development about to begin
With system design complete, work has moved into subsystem integration, and prototype development is being prepared on schedule.
"Fly To Apophis!" opens recruitment campus-wide
Preliminary designs completed for the probe and the pathfinder satellite; the first design review kicked off as all four task squads opened recruitment to the whole of Tsinghua.
Sole Grand Prize in Space Orbit Design at the Zhou Peiyuan National Mechanics Competition
A five-member core team topped 128 teams from 53 universities — clearing 125 targets with the highest metric score nationwide. Members: Wu Yixuan, Yu Yuhang, Huang Zhecheng, Yu Zhongyang (Xingjian College), Tang Zijie (School of Aerospace Engineering).
Project kickoff, team formed
Selected for Tsinghua's Disruptive Innovation Talent Program with the highest support in the program's history; the team has since won an undergraduate National Natural Science Foundation of China grant, two national-level Innovation Training projects, and two Future Technology Challenge projects.
Will the next name be yours?
Science, orbits, spacecraft, outreach — the mission train is still taking on crew. Follow the WeChat official account "清华大学学生小行星探测任务" (Tsinghua Student Asteroid Mission) for recruitment updates.