France may join Russia and China in effort to build lunar research station
The proposal came during a videoconference between Dmitry Rogozi, Roscosmos’ director general, and Philippe Baptiste, chair of France’s National Centre for Space Studies.
A press statement from Roscosmos said that during the talks, the two “discussed the prospects for Russian-French cooperation in the Guiana Space Centre Soyuz complex, and touched on possible French participation in the Russian–Chinese initiative to create the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).”
Both sides agreed to begin “a detailed discussion” on further steps. As yet, no timeline has been announced for construction of the base.
China and Russia signed an agreement in principle to cooperate on the lunar station in March after negotiation in which the European Space Agency was involved.
The ILRS was first proposed by China as an extra-terrestrial version of the research stations operated by many countries in Antarctica. It would be used for exploration and research into water and minerals, resource use, manufacturing and the effect of low gravity on biological systems. Work will also be done on wireless energy transmission and nuclear power for space.
