Russia And China To Team Up For Lunar Research Station

Russian and China announced this week that they would partner for a lunar research station. The announcement was made via the Russian space agency Roscosmos in a statement earlier this week announcing it had signed an agreement with the China National Space Administration for a "complex of experimental research facilities created on the surface and/or in the orbit of the moon." According to the Russian space agency, the International Scientific Lunar Station would perform multidisciplinary and multipurpose research work, including exploring the moon.

Roscosmos says that it plans to carry out fundamental research experiments and acknowledge verification with the potential for long-term uncrewed operations and a human presence on the moon. The Chinese agency says that both it and Russia would adhere to principles of co-consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits. Both Russia and China say that the International Scientific Lunar Station would be open to all interested countries and international partners.

One caveat to the announcement is that neither Russia nor China has set a timeline for their proposal, so it's unclear how soon planning and construction will begin. The memorandum issued by the agencies did mention the upcoming Chinese Chang'e-7 mission noting that cooperation would be in the framework of that mission and Russia's Luna-Resurs-1 orbital spacecraft mission.

Chang'e-7 is expected to be launched to the southern pole of the moon in 2024. The Chinese Chang'e-5 mission was successful, having returned samples from the moon in December, making it the third nation behind the US and the former Soviet Union to return samples from the moon.

Russia launched its first crewed space mission in April 1961, while China launched its first crewed mission in 2003. Russia is a participant in the international space station, but a law is in place that prohibits NASA from working with China.