China and Russia have invited international partners to join them in building a moon base but revealed they don't plan to send astronauts to the moon

Russia, China reveal moon base roadmap but no plans for astronaut trips yet

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2021-06-20 21:00:04

China and Russia have invited international partners to join them in building a moon base but revealed they don't plan to send astronauts to the moon in the next decade.

The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) will consist of a space station in lunar orbit, a moon base on the surface and a set of mobile rovers and intelligent "hopping" robots, according to representatives of Russia's space agency Roscosmos and China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Speaking at the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX) in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday (June 16), Chinese and Russian space officials said they were already in negotiations with international partners including the European Space Agency (ESA), Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to join their endeavour.

The timeline presented at the GLEX forum foresees a reconnaissance phase to begin in 2021. By 2025, the space agencies will choose a site for the moon base, with construction expected to follow between 2026 to 2035. The ILRS will become operational from 2036 onwards, providing a range of scientific facilities and equipment to study lunar topography, geomorphology, chemistry, geology and internal structure of the moon, as well as enabling space and Earth observations from the moon's surface. It will also likely support human exploration in the future.