(Yicai Global) Dec. 16 -- Macau will cooperate with the China National Space Administration to launch the special administrative region's first orbiter, a scientific experimental satellite, in 2021 to observe geomagnetic field changes above the southern Atlantic Ocean and provide data support for related geoscience research, Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.

The pair penned the joint development deal at an aerospace exhibition held by the Macau University of Science and Technology yesterday. The information on the earth's magnetic field radiation the satellite obtains will be of great significance in studying the evolution of the earth and the origin of living creatures.

The CNSA will set up the Macau Space Exploration and Science Center at the university to serve as a platform for exchanges and cooperation between China and international scientific research institutions, train scientific and technological talents in related fields and enhance Macau's technological innovation capabilities, it announced at the exhibition.

The aerospace exhibition, which kicked off yesterday, will be open to the public until Jan. 12. It features models of the Chang'e-4 lunar lander, Long March-5 carrier rocket and over 50 pictures of key moments in Chinese aerospace history.

Editor: Ben Armour