Beijing and Moscow to develop experimental research facilities on the lunar surface and its orbit.
Russia and China have unveiled plans for a joint lunar space station, while Moscow wants to regain the glory of its Soviet-era space-breaking days, and Beijing is building its own extraterrestrial ambitions.
Although Russia was once at the forefront of space travel – it was the first man to enter space – its cosmic ambitions have faded due to poor funding and endemic corruption.
It has been obscured by China and the United States, both of which have achieved the greatest victories in space exploration and research in recent years.
The Russian space agency Roscomos said in a statement on Tuesday that it had signed an agreement with China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) to develop a “complex experimental research facility created on the surface and / or in the moon’s orbit”.
CNSA, in turn, said the project was “open to all interested countries and international partners” which, according to experts, would be China’s largest international space cooperation project to date.
Russia is trying to take the lead in the space race again.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of Russia’s first spaceflight crew – it sent Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961, followed by the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, two years later.
In contrast, the US space agency NASA only launched into space in 1968 its first crew flight.
But for the past few years, Moscow has lagged behind both Washington and Beijing in exploring the moon and Mars.
Meanwhile, China – which sought a closer partnership with Moscow – has launched its own successful space program.
“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 brought rock and soil samples from the moon back to Earth, the first mission of its kind in more than 40 years.
Chen Lan, an independent analyst specializing in China’s space program, said the joint lunar space station is a major problem.
“This will be the largest international space cooperation project for China, so it’s important,” Lan said.
Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin wrote on Twitter that he had invited CNSA chief Zhang Kejian to launch Russia’s first modern lunar lander, Luna 25, scheduled for October 1 – Russia’s first lunar lander since 1976. was launched.
Eyes on Mars
NASA has now set its sights on Mars with its Perseverance rovers that made their first test drive on the planet last week. NASA ultimately intends to carry out a possible human mission to the planet, even though the planning is still at a preliminary stage.
Moscow and Washington also work together in the space sector – one of the few areas of cooperation between the competitors of the Cold War.
However, Russia did not sign the US-led Artemis Treaty last year for countries wishing to participate in a lunar reconnaissance scheme led by NASA.
Under 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 reputation in space, Roscosmos lost its crewship to the International Space Station (ISS) last year following the first successful mission of the US company Space X.
Elon Musks’ Space X has become a major player in the modern space race and has announced plans to fly several members of the public to the Moon in 2023 on a journey led by a Japanese millionaire.
Space X also landed a prototype rocket on Mars in March, but it exploded on the landing site.
China’s Tianwen – 1 mission took off from Wenchang Space Launch Center last year [Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters]