Final configuration of the Chinese space station. Photo: CMSEO/El Confidencial.
The Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) and the Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA) have signed a cooperation program until 2027, the Russian entity announced today.
Likewise, Roscosmos noted that the governments of both countries signed an agreement to cooperate in the creation of the International Lunar Research Station (ISIL), an initiative already reported by the Director General of this state body, Yuri Borisov.
Both parties have ratified a pact to ensure the complementarity of the Glonass and Beidou global navigation satellite systems.
Earlier, in September, contracts were signed to build three Russian measuring stations in the Chinese cities of Changchun, Urumqi and Shanghai, and three Chinese stations in the Russian cities of Obninsk, Irkutsk and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the state company added.
Roscosmos and CNSA presented the ISIL roadmap at the 2021 Global Conference on Space Exploration.
The construction of this station should be completed in 2035, during which time they will conduct two missions to test their landing and cargo transport technologies, as well as the return of lunar samples to Earth.
Before the space station is launched, Russia and China will set up infrastructure in orbit and on the lunar surface, including communications complexes or electrical power and research equipment, among others.
(With information from Prensa Latina)