Heads of the Chinese and Russian space agencies signed an agreement on Tuesday to build a research station on the Moon. Other countries are also invited to join the adventure.
Dmitry Rogozin, director general of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Zhang Kejian, head of the Chinese National Space Agency, signed a memorandum of understanding for the creation of a scientific station on and/or around the Moon.
This complex of facilities will be designed to carry out multidisciplinary and versatile research related to the exploration and exploitation of our satellite. The objective will be to establish long-term facilities animated by robotic systems, while being able to support a human presence if necessary.
The two countries also plan to invite other countries to participate. The Purpose:“ to strengthen international cooperation in research and to promote the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes in the interest of all mankind ” , can we read in a press release.
This announcement comes as China has already revealed its ambitions to build a station at the south pole of the Moon, capable of supporting a human presence in the 2030s . Two years ago, the head of the Russian agency Roscosmos also unveiled a plan to set up a permanent base on the Moon, inhabited by "avatar robots" controlled from Earth.
This announcement comes as the Biden administration has just confirmed its intention to continue the Artemis program aimed at landing humans on the Moon again. We know that NASA and its partners also want to establish a lunar base at the South Pole, rich in water ice.
As part of this exploration plan, NASA has put in place the "Artemis Accords" guaranteeing a "safe, prosperous, and peaceful" future in the space. In particular, all actors involved will have to ensure that all their activities are " carried out for peaceful purposes " .
The principle of transparency must also be respected. In other words, all relevant agencies will have to "publicly disclose their exploration plans and policies and make their scientific data available" .
To date, several countries have already signed these agreements. Naturally, China and Russia are not affected. The Motherland has worked successfully with the United States for more than two decades on the construction and operation of the ISS. However, Dmitry Rogozin has previously criticized the Artemis Accords, pointing out that they were too "US-centric" .
This latest Russia-China deal suggests that the enduring relationship that NASA and Roscosmos have nurtured for decades may soon be reaching a breaking point. More than ever, when it comes to deep space exploration, the "space race" now involves NASA and its partners against China and Russia.
