Beijing and Moscow to develop experimental research facilities on the moon’s surface and its orbit.
Russia and China have unveiled plans for a joint space station on the moon, as Moscow seeks to reclaim the glory of its Soviet-era space pioneer era, and Beijing ramps up its own alien ambitions.
Although Russia was once at the forefront of space travel – sending the first human into space – its cosmic ambitions have been diminished thanks to poor funding and endemic corruption.
It has been overshadowed by China and the United States, both of which have achieved major victories in space exploration and research in recent years.
Russian space agency Roscomos said in a statement on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) to develop a “complex of experimental research facilities created on the surface and / or in the orbit of the moon. “.
CNSA, for its part, said the project is “open to all interested countries and international partners” in what experts say would be China’s largest international cooperation project in space to date.
Russia is trying to regain the lead in the space race.
This year, it celebrates the 60th anniversary of Russia’s first-ever manned space flight – sending Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961, followed by its first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, two years later.
In contrast, the US space agency NASA did not send its first manned flight into space until 1968.
But Moscow has lagged behind both Washington and Beijing in the exploration of the Moon and Mars in recent years.
Meanwhile, China – which has sought closer cooperation with Moscow – has embarked on a successful space program of its own.
‘A big problem’
Last year, Beijing launched its Tianwen-1 probe to Mars, which is currently orbiting the Red Planet.
And in December, it successfully returned rock and soil samples from the Moon to Earth, the first mission of its type in more than 40 years.
Chen Lan, an independent analyst specializing in the Chinese space program, said the joint lunar space station was “a big deal.”
“This will be China’s largest international space cooperation project for China, so it’s significant,” Lan said.
Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin wrote on Twitter that he invited CNSA chief Zhang Kejian to the launch of Russia’s first modern lunar lander, Luna 25, scheduled for October 1 – the first lunar lander to be launched by Russia since 1976.
Eyes on Mars
NASA has now set its sights on Mars with its Perseverance rovers last week conducting their first test drive on the planet. NASA eventually plans to carry out a possible human mission to the planet, even though the planning is still in a preliminary phase.
Moscow and Washington are also collaborating in the space sector – one of the few areas of cooperation between Cold War rivals.
However, Russia did not sign the US-led Artemis agreement last year for countries wishing to participate in a lunar exploration program led by NASA.
According to the Artemis program announced during the tenure of former US President Donald Trump, NASA plans to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024.
In another blow to Russia’s aerospace reputation, Roscosmos lost its monopoly on manned flights to the International Space Station (ISS) last year after the first successful mission of the US company Space X.
Elon Musks’ Space X has become a major player in the modern space race, announcing plans to fly several members of the public to the moon in 2023 on a trip funded by a Japanese millionaire.
Space X also landed a prototype rocket on Mars in March, but it exploded on the landing pad.
The Chinese Tianwen-1 mission took off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center last July [Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters]