Russia and China have signed an agreement to create an “International Lunar Science Station,” as the two countries further distance themselves from the US, after their omission from NASA’s Artemis Records Moon pact.
China and Russia sign agreement for moon base
The two heads of Russia’s and China’s space agencies signed an agreement on March 9 to jointly work together to create an “International lunar science Station” on the moon.
The agreement was signed by Zhang Kejian, director of the China National Space Administration, and Dmitry Rogozin, the chief of Russia’s space corporation, Roscosmos, who announced the deal, ARS Technica reported.
While the details of the plans were very limited, the announcement specified that the two countries would jointly work to establish a long-termed, non-crewed facility on the moon, while creating capabilities to establish a human presence there. The plan involves creating a base with research facilities on the lunar surface, and/or in orbit around the Moon.
NASA excluded from deal
While the agreement between Russia and China indicated plans for inviting other countries to participate in the international lunar science Station, noticeably spurned from the deal was NASA.
Back in October 2020, eight nations signed NASA’s Artemis Accords, which pledges peaceful cooperation and transparent activities on the moon, Engadget reported. The agreement was essentially a reaffirmation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
Previously, the European Space Agency (ESA) has also expressed interest in partnering with China, but no word as yet on whether the ESA will participate in this latest China-Russia deal.
A new space race?
Noticeably absent as signees to the agreement were Russia and China. At the time, NASA said more nations would be signing in the months and years ahead. However, neither China nor Russia indicated whether or not they were interested in joining the accord.
Now, with this latest agreement between Russia and China, not only does it create speculation that the two nations they go their own way, but it also suggests the possibility of a new “space race” with the Moon as the target.
Previously, China made its ambitions for building an international lunar station at the South Pole of the Moon, beginning with robotic missions and followed by short-term human missions in the early 2030s, according to ARS Technica.
The South Pole of the Moon is believed to have vast reserves of water ice. NASA has also sought to establish a base for assessing the viability of the water resources at the Moon’s South Pole.
