Scientists have until March 16, 2015, to submit their project proposals that would perform research on astronomy, solar system and fundamental physics under a planned joint robotic space mission that Europe and China would jointly launch in 2021.

The joint call made by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and European Space Agency (ESA) for proposals on Monday was the result of two workshops conducted in China and Denmark in 2014, reports Spaceflightnow.com.

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The winning proposal would be selected in late 2015, while final go ahead signal for full development would be in 2017.

Proposals could tackle any subject in space science, except moon or Mars exploration since ESA's science program has a specific unit for those areas, explains Favio Favata, ESA's head of science planning and community coordination office.

Under the guidelines, every proposal must have a principal investigator from China and a member from an ESA country, with the scientific payload of the spacecraft to be jointly developed by members of the two teams.

There is a weight limit of 660 pounds, or 300 kilograms, and the design should be for a two- or three-year mission. The satellite payload, on the other hand, should be less than 132 pounds, or 60 kilograms.

In response to Washington's restrictions on high-tech equipment for military use on Chinese rocket launches, no sensitive U.S.-manufactured spacecraft parts that are under export control restrictions could be used. Manufacturing could be done in either Europe or China, while maximum cost is $56 million, or 50 million euro.

Lastly, the mission has four launch pads to select from. These are the European Vega booster, Soyuz rocket, Long March 2c or Long Match 2D launcher of China.

It is not the first collaboration between China and ESA since the two developed and launched in 2003 and 2004 two satellites for their Double Star mission that was used to measure processes in the Earth's magnetosphere and response to solar activity fluctuation of monitored magnetic bubble.

Tagseuropean space agency, robotic space mission