China and Russia have officially invited other countries to join their future lunar base project. Other details have also emerged with a first phase of activities which could begin as early as 2025.
Heads of the Chinese and Russian space agencies signed an agreement last March to build a research station on the Moon. This complex will be designed to “conduct multidisciplinary and versatile research related to the exploration and exploitation of our satellite ". It will therefore oppose future installations of the US-led Artemis program.
As we have already mentioned in a previous article, when it comes to deep space exploration, the "space race" therefore now involves NASA and its partners against China and Russia which, as we recall, are seriously considering withdrawing from the International Space Station partnership as early as 2025.
What exactly do we know about this future moon base? Already, China and Russia will not be alone. Officials from both countries have indeed officially invited other nations and international organizations to join the project “at all stages and levels (planning, design and development).
The announcement was made during a side event at the 58th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space United Nations (COPUOS) on April 23.
Further details related to these facilities were also shared during the sixth annual Chinese Space Day in Nanjing on April 24.
A priori, the first phase of the project will consist of collecting data using several probes to determine the location of the future base near the South Pole lunar . These missions include China's Chang'e-6 and Chang'e-7 missions, and Russia's Luna 25, 26 and 27 missions. .
As a reminder, the Chang'e-6 mission ship, which will also aim to bring other lunar samples back to Earth, will carry, among other things, a radon detector developed by the 'IRAP of Toulouse.
The second phase of the project will be smoothed from 2026 to 2030 . During this period, the Chinese Chang'e-8 mission and the Russian Luna 28 mission will settle in the chosen site. Thus can begin the construction of facilities animated by robotic systems.
It is only during the third phase, covering the period 2030-2035, that China hopes to rely on its Long March 9 super-heavy launcher to send the first humans there. A long-term human presence at the lunar south pole will then be considered for the period 2036-2045.
