The Chinese and Russian space agencies signed a joint agreement on Tuesday to build a research base on the moon, the first plan to build a scientific base for the moon and the largest space cooperation for China to date. The agreement was give the interesting name of “Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the People’s Republic of Russia and the Government of the Russian Federation on the construction of a cooperative at the International Lunar Research Center” (MNLS) via a video conference.
The proposed stations will orbit the moon and / or be located below it. The agreement makes it clear that the base will be international, willing to embark on a journey from any country, and that they will “promote the exploration and use of outside space for peaceful purposes in the interests of all mankind.” The base will be set up based on further humanitarian efforts on the moon, with the goal of ultimately researching the presence of humans on the moon.
“The International Lunar Research Center is the basis of a wide range of scientific experiments built on the lunar surface or lunar orbit that can conduct multidisciplinary and multi-purpose scientific research activities such as lunar research and use, lunar observations, basic scientific experiments and technical verification and long-term autonomous missions. . . A press release issued by the Chinese National Aerospace Administration said. Although the announcement is exciting, the base of the moon is probably still a long way off. No official deadline has yet been set for the base’s construction – but China plans to send astronauts to the moon by the 2030s, when the base is unlikely to build.
Meanwhile, MNLS said Russia and China would jointly draw up a roadmap for research and construction towards the station. China has been unconsciously active in pushing more into space in recent years. Closing the heels of SpaceX’s success with reusable rockets, China launched a reusable test rocket in September 2020, called the Long March 2F rocket. The launch was a success in both takeoff and landing, with China moving towards the final goal of a permanent presence.
In addition to plans to launch the Luna-Globe Moon orbit in 2021, the Russian space agency Roscosmos also has big dreams for the near future, as well as the planned Venera-de Venus Lander goal to touchdown in 2029. The competition for Mars is in full swing, it looks like the competition for the lunar base has just begun – the 2020s are going to be a decade full of space exploration.
