Russia and China have agreed to set up an International Moon Station

The Director General of the Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) Dmitry Rogozin and the head of the Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA) Zhan Kezjian signed on behalf of their governments a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of jointly Roskosmos and CNSA.

A statement said Roskosmos and CNSA "will assist in the creation of the International Space Station on the Moon, to which all interested countries and international partners will have open access, with the aim of strengthening scientific research and exploration and exploitation of space for peaceful purposes in the interest of all mankind".

The signing ceremony of the memorandum took place via video conference. "China and Russia are leveraging their shared experience and scientific technologies to create a roadmap for the construction of the International Space Station on the Moon," CNSA said in a statement posted on WeChat.

According to the announcement of the two space services, the cooperation of the two countries in this field presupposes both the study of the surface of the Moon and the implementation of joint programs in the orbit of the Earth's natural satellite.

In November 2017 Roskosmos and CNSA had signed a space cooperation program for 2018-2020. This program includes six areas: study of the Moon and outer space, space science and related technologies, satellites and their application, database and materials, collaboration in the field of remote Earth recording data and other topics. Working subgroups have been set up to implement these objectives under this program.

In June 2020, Rogozin announced that he had discussed with his Chinese colleagues the issue of their cooperation in space as part of a space science station on the Moon. In December 2020, Rogozin told the Federation Council (upper house) that in June, China had proposed to Europe cooperation in the field of space conquest. In early February, Roskosmos Deputy Managing Director for International Cooperation Sergei Saveliev told TASS that Roskosmos was discussing with its Chinese counterparts the possibility of creating a space base on the moon and studying the technology.