Russia-China Agree on Joint Construction of 'Lunar Station' (Comprehensive)

US Refuses Artemis Cooperation, Joins Hands with China

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Russian and Chinese space authorities announced on the 9th (local time) that they have agreed to cooperate on the construction of a lunar orbiting space station called the ‘Lunar Station’.

According to the US IT media The Verge, the Russian Federal Space Agency and the China National Space Administration signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation for the construction of the ‘International Scientific Lunar Station’ through a video conference on the same day.

Russia’s partnership with China is aimed at countering the US Gateway program, a rival in space technology.

The media reported that the two space powers, Russia and China, are planning to build a lunar station comparable to NASA’s Gateway space station.

The United States is promoting the construction of the Gateway space station in lunar orbit as part of the Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024.

NASA has signed agreements with nine countries including Japan, Canada, and Italy as part of the Artemis program cooperation, but Russia decided not to participate.

The Artemis program, strongly driven by former President Donald Trump, has been taken over by the Joe Biden administration, which stated it will continue to collaborate with industry and international partners.

The lunar station to be built by Russia and China will be equipped with various experimental research facilities on the lunar surface or in orbit, and other interested countries or partners will also be able to use it, explained the Russian Federal Space Agency.

The Russia-China MOU was signed according to the cooperation agreement for establishing a joint lunar and space exploration data integration center, introduced by the Chinese ambassador to Russia.

Source: The Verge

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