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

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

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

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

The new era of space race

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

During an interview last month, NASA head Nelson admittedly said that the space race between NASA and Beijing’s China National Space Administration (CNSA) is akin to NASA’s competition with the USSR. While it was USSR, which put the first man-made object and a man into space, the US advanced by sending the first humans to the 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 the Kremlin closer to China. According to TASS, Rogozin is scheduled to visit China this month to enhance cooperation on Moon missions being planned between the two nations. Exuding confidence that the economic sanctions will not deter Russia’s space programs, Rogozin had even said that Roscosmos is ready to partner with China to advance its capabilities. Besides, the 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, the United States Defence Intelligence Agency’s  (DIA) senior defence analyst had accused the Sino-Russian partnership of having intentions to explore and exploit the moon's and Mars' natural resources over the course of the next 30 years. Moreover, the report released by the US Department of Defence claimed that both the nations are planning to position themselves as leading space powers and are eyeing the creation of “new global space norms”.