Beijing and Moscow will develop experimental research facilities on the Moon’s surface and orbit.
Russia and China have unveiled plans for a joint lunar space station, while Moscow is trying to regain the glory of its Soviet-era space pioneer days, and Beijing is raising its own extraterrestrial ambitions.
Although Russia was once at the forefront of space travel – it sent the first man into space – its cosmic ambitions have faded due to poor funding and endemic corruption.
It has been overshadowed by China and the United States, which have achieved both major victories in space exploration and research in recent years.
Russia’s Roscomos said in a statement on Tuesday that it had signed an agreement with China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) to develop a “complex of experimental research facilities created on the surface and / or in the moon’s orbit.”
CNSA, for its part, said the project is “open to all interested countries and international partners” in what experts said will be China’s largest international space cooperation project to date.
Russia is trying to take the lead in the space race.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of Russia’s first manned spaceflight – sending Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961, followed by the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, two years later.
Instead, the US space agency NASA sent its first manned flight into space in 1968.
But Moscow has lagged behind in both Washington and Beijing in exploring the moon and Mars in recent years.
Meanwhile, China – which sought a closer partnership with Moscow – has begun a successful space program.
‘A big deal’
Last year, Beijing launched its Tianwen-1 spacecraft on Mars, which is currently orbiting the Red Planet.
And in December, he 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 space programs in China, said the monthly joint space station is “a big problem.”
“This will be the largest international space cooperation project for China, so it’s significant,” Lan said.
Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin wrote on Twitter that he had invited CNSA chief Zhang Kejian to the launch of Russia’s first modern lunar lander, Moon 25, scheduled for October 1 – the first lunar lander launched by Russia since 1976.
Eyes on Mars
NASA is now targeting Mars with its Perseverance rovers last week that made their first test drive on the planet. NASA ultimately intends to lead a possible human mission to the planet, even if planning is still in a preliminary stage.
Moscow and Washington are also collaborating in the space sector – one of the few areas of cooperation left between Cold War rivals.
However, Russia did not sign the US-led Artemis Agreement last year for countries wishing to participate in a NASA-led monthly exploration scheme.
As part of the Artemis program announced during the term 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 space reputation, Roscosmos lost its monopoly last year on manned flights to the International Space Station (ISS) after the first successful mission of the American company Space X.
Elon Musks’ Space X has become a key player in the modern space race and announced plans to fly more members of the public to the moon in 2023 on a trip funded by a Japanese millionaire.
Space X in March also landed a prototype rocket on Mars, but exploded on the landing platform.
China’s Tianwen-1 mission takes off from Wenchang Space Launch Center in July last year [Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters]