Beijing and Moscow will develop experimental research facilities on the surface of the Moon and its orbit.
Russia and China have submitted plans for a joint lunar space station, while Moscow is trying to regain the glory of its pioneering days in Soviet-era space, and Beijing is adopting 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 been darkened by poor funding and endemic corruption.
It has been overshadowed by China and the United States, which have achieved major victories in space exploration and research in recent years.
Russia’s 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 of experimental research facilities created on the surface and / or ‘orbit of the Moon’.
CNSA, for its part, said the project was “open to all interested countries and international partners” in what experts said would be China’s largest international space cooperation project to date.
Russia wants to regain leadership in the space race.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of Russia’s first manned space flight: it sent Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961, followed by the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, two years later.
By contrast, the US space agency NASA only sent its first manned flight into space in 1968.
But Moscow has lagged behind both Washington and Beijing in exploring the Moon and Mars in recent years.
Meanwhile, China, which has sought closer collaboration with Moscow, has embarked on its own successful space program.
“A great thing”
Last year, Beijing launched its Tianwen-1 spacecraft to Mars, which currently orbits the red planet.
And in December, he successfully brought samples of rock and soil from the moon to earth, the first mission of its kind 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 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 invited CNSA chief Zhang Kejian to the launch of Russia’s first modern lunar lander, Luna 25, scheduled for October 1, the first lander launched by Russia since 1976.
Eyes on Mars
NASA has now set its sights on Mars with its Perseverance rovers last week conducting its first driving test on the planet. NASA ultimately intends to carry out a possible human mission to the planet, even if 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 left between Cold War rivals.
However, Russia did not sign the U.S.-led Artemis Agreement last year for countries that want to participate in a NASA-led lunar exploration scheme.
According to the Artemis program announced during the tenure of former U.S. President Donald Trump, NASA plans to land the first woman and next man on the moon in 2024.
Again against Russia’s space reputation, Roscosmos lost its monopoly on manned flights to the International Space Station (ISS) last year 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 has announced plans to fly several 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 pad.
China’s Tianwen-1 mission takes off from Wenchang space launch center last July [Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters]