Russia 'almost ready' to sign agreement for Lunar Research Station with China: Report

Russia and China are ‘almost rey’ to strike a deal on building human bases on Moon. According to Russia’s TASS news agency, this revelation was me by Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of Russian space agency Roscosmos during a TV interview with state-owned Rossiya 24. 

"We are now almost rey to sign an intergovernmental agreement on creating a lunar research base with China”, Rogozin h said. Sino-Russian partnership is likely to fuel a new space race, something which is alrey in motion, NASA ministrator Bill Nelson h said. lunar base by Russia and China will reportedly be constructed under International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a romap that was presented by space agencies of two countries during Global Space Exploration Conference last year (GLEX 2021). 

According to romap, China and Russia have plans to construct base in three phases and make it functional by 2035. Tap here to re more about romap to Sino-Russian lunar base. 

new era of space race

China clearly has replaced now-defunct USSR which used to be in direct competition with US space agency, NASA, in mid-20th century. It is worth mentioning that NASA is relentlessly involved in sending humans back to Moon before this dece ends. What’s more, is that American agency, under Artemis Accords, has partnered with 19 countries to ensure a sustained human presence on lunar surface by building bases. 

During an interview last month, NASA he Nelson mittedly said that space race between NASA and Beijing’s China National Space ministration (CNSA) is akin to NASA’s competition with USSR. While it was USSR, which put first man-me object and a man into space, US vanced by sending first humans to Moon. 

Ever since Russia launched a ‘military operation’ on Ukraine, Moscow’s relations with global space agencies have severely deteriorated, which as a result has pushed Kremlin closer to China. According to TASS, Rogozin is scheduled to visit China this month to enhance cooperation on Moon missions being planned between two nations. Exuding confidence that economic sanctions will not deter Russia’s space programs, Rogozin h even said that Roscosmos is rey to partner with China to vance its capabilities. Besides, US is also targeting China and Russia on multiple fronts including Beijing’s space ambitions and preparations for its future missions. 

Earlier in April, Keith Ryder, United States Defence Intelligence Agency’s  (DIA) senior defence analyst h accused Sino-Russian partnership of having intentions to explore and exploit moon's and Mars' natural resources over course of next 30 years. Moreover, report released by US Department of Defence claimed that both nations are planning to position mselves as leing space powers and are eyeing creation of “new global space norms”.