The International Conference on Space Habitation and Exploitation 2026 is proposed to be jointly initiated by the Center of Space Exploration, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, the UAE Collaborative and Human - AI Collaboration & Coexistence Laboratory(HACOLAB), Masdar City (Abu Dhabi), The University of Hong Kong, Zhejiang University, and the China Society of Image and Graphics. The UAE Space Agency, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA), the University of Malaya, and the Royal Islamic Future Foundation are invited to co‑host the conference.

The conference aims to advance space habitation technologies and the national strategy of the "Earth‑Moon Space Economic Zone", while promoting the establishment of the "Peace and Friendship Institute for Space Habitation". Following thorough deliberation, the venue of the conference has been adjusted from the originally planned Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The conference is tentatively scheduled to be held from November 6 to 11, 2026.

Experts and scholars in relevant fields are cordially invited to attend and participate in the exchange, jointly fostering international collaboration for the peaceful use of space and the long‑term development of humanity.

1. Conference Theme

Development of Space Habitation Technologies with the Earth‑Prioritized Approach

2. Conference Positioning and Main Content

This conference is positioned as an international cooperation platform guided by the high-level vision of "space habitation," adhering to the core principle of "Earth‑Prioritized," and aspiring to the value goal of "peace and friendship." The conference content covers three major directions:

A. Extraterrestrial base Research and habitation technologies development;

B. Earth-prioritized space-enabled enhancement and security;

C. Space related education & training for youth.

The conference will facilitate intellectual exchange and technical dialogue from two perspectives: "from space to Earth" and "from Earth to space." The former focuses on leveraging technologies such as satellite remote sensing, space life support, space agriculture, space energy, space communications, space security, and artificial intelligence to enhance Earth's living environment, social resilience, and peaceful development capabilities. The latter explores how to transfer Earth‑validated knowledge and practices—such as life wisdom, agricultural civilization, energy systems, economic organization, human‑robot collaboration mechanisms, and the concept of peace and friendship—to future space stations, lunar bases, and deep‑space environments.

Based on the above content, several sessions will be established. Experts are cordially invited to participate and propose topics for relevant sessions, while session conveners are being openly recruited worldwide. Session conveners are primarily responsible for:

(1) Organizing presentations and agenda for their session;

(2) Inviting leading experts and scholars in the field to participate in discussions;

(3) Chairing or coordinating academic exchanges in the session;

(4) Promoting the dissemination and application of session outcomes.

Scholars with academic influence, organizational experience, and enthusiasm in related fields are cordially invited to participate. Interested scholars are invited to download and fill in Attachment 2 (see the end) and send it to spacehabitation@cqu.edu.cn before June 30, 2026, with the email subject "ICSHE2026 + Name". The conference organizing committee will select and appoint conveners based on applications to jointly create high‑quality and impactful sessions.

3. Conference Organization(Continuously updating)

Guiding Organizations (invited):

UAE Space Agency (invited)

Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) (invited)

Office of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (invited)

Organizers:

Center of Space Exploration, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University

Human - AI Collaboration & Coexistence Laboratory(HACOLAB), Masdar City (Abu Dhabi)

UAE Collaborative and Symbiotic Human‑Robot Laboratory

The University of Hong Kong

Zhejiang University

China Society of Image and Graphics

Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) (invited)

Royal Islamic Future Foundation (invited)

University of Malaya (invited)

Hosts:

Space Science and Technology Research Institute, Chongqing University

Space Habitation (Journal)

Technical Committee on Information Perception and Decision-Making, China Society of Image and Graphics

Laboratory for Space Research, The University of Hong Kong

College of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Zhejiang University

Chongqing Astronomical Society

Academic Advisors: QI Faren, WANG Liheng, ZHONG Zhihua

Chairs: YU Dengyun, WANG Chi

Executive Chairs: XIE Gengxin, LIU Yang Sloan

Executive Vice Chairs: Parker QUENTIN, QIAN Jin

Vice Chairs: WANG Yurong, ZHANG Kai, SU Meng

Academic Advisory Committee:

Academic Committee of the Center of Space Exploration, Ministry of Education (Provincial-Ministry Collaborative Innovation Center for Deep Space Exploration)

Expert Committee:

4. Conference Schedule

November 6–11, 2026: Registration, conference exchanges, and field visits.

5. Conference Registration

(1) Participants are requested to register online via:

registration website: http://cose.sibiao.net/2026/

Notes: The deadline for submitting presentation information is September 30, 2026. The deadline for the organizing committee to extract online registration information is October 31, 2026.

(2) Presenters are requested to download and fill out Attachment 1 (see the end) and send it to spacehabitation@cqu.edu.cn, with the email subject "ICSHE2026 + Name".

6. Special Issue Publication Plan

To deepen and consolidate the academic outcomes of this conference and to promote knowledge accumulation and innovative development in the field of space habitation and exploitation, the conference’s partner journal, Space Habitation (ISSN: 2950-6166), will organize a special issue on the theme of "Development of Space Habitation Technologies with an Earth‑First Approach." Space Habitation is a quarterly journal with no article processing charges (APC). All accepted articles will be openly available through the ScienceDirect platform and the Astrophysics Data System (ADS) database.

We are now openly recruiting guest editors for the special issue on a global scale, and cordially invite attending scholars to actively contribute submissions.

Guest Editor Recruitment:

Number: 4–6

Responsibilities: Topic planning, manuscript solicitation, peer-review coordination, and content oversight.

Requirements: Preference will be given to candidates with a strong academic background, high academic influence, and prior editorial experience in related fields.

Application procedure: Download and fill in Attachment 3 (see the end) and send it to spacehabitation@cqu.edu.cn before June 30, 2026, with the email subject "SH + Name".

Call for Papers:

Scope: Frontier research outcomes related to conference sessions.

Submission timeline: The submission portal will open in July 2026. The specific deadline will be announced separately.

Submission Guidelines: Please download and review Attachment 4 (see the end).

Submission website: https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/space-habitation

(Any inquiries, please contact spacehabitation@cqu.edu.cn)

7. Exhibition

In the same period of the conference, exhibitions will be organized to showcase cutting-edge technologies, high-end equipment and solutions, popular science works, etc. The exhibition area and the number of exhibition stands are limited, and reservations will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. For details, please contact the organizing committee.

8. Contact Information