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On August 3, 2026, Professor Keke Zhang from Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) was awarded the 2026 CAS/COSPAR Jeoujang Jaw Award. The prestigious honor was presented during the opening ceremony of the 46th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, held in Florence, Italy from August 1–9, 2026.

The Jeoujang Jaw Award, bestowed jointly by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and COSPAR, recognizes scientists who have made distinguished pioneering contributions to promoting space research, establishing new space science research branches and founding new exploration programs. Established in 2006 and presented biennially, the award is one of COSPAR's major awards and is named in honor of Professor Jeoujang Jaw (Zhao Jiuzhang), a renowned Chinese meteorologist, geophysicist, space physicist, and a founding figure of Chinese space research.

Professor Keke Zhang is a distinguished space and planetary scientist and the Principal Investigator for the Macau Science Satellite-1 (MSS-1), internationally recognized for over three decades of outstanding and pioneering contributions to advancing space planetary research, which makes him a worthy recipient of the award.

"The MSS-1 satellite is named after Macau, but its data is shared and used by the whole world. And that’s what I love most: science is a team sport across the world. So, this CAS/COSPAR award is not just mine. It belongs to every scientist, every engineer, and every colleague who trusted mathematics and loved exploring space", Prof. Zhang said at the award ceremony.

The Jeoujang Jaw Award has previously been presented to an elite group of international space scientists, including Daniel Baker (2024), Wing-Huen Ip (2020), Sergey K. Krikalev (2018), Cheng Fang (2016), Sir Martin Sweeting FRS (2014), Robert P. Lin (2012), Calvin T. Swift (2010), and James L. Burch (2008). More details can be found at: https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/awards/jeoujang-jaw-award/.