On the 10th, foreign media rushed to report that China and Russia announced a grand plan to establish a joint lunar space station !
China has accelerated its pace in space business, and Russia is trying to regain the glory of the pioneer of the Soviet era space .
Although the Soviet Union/Russia was once a pioneer in space technology (the Soviet Union was the first to send it into space), its cosmic ambitions have dimmed due to insufficient funds and technical stagnation.
Both China and the United States have achieved major victories in space exploration and research in recent years, and Russia is clearly unwilling to fall into the eclipsed dilemma for a long time. On Tuesday, the Russian Space Agency stated in a statement that it had signed an agreement with and China National Space Administration (CNSA) to develop "comprehensive experimental research facilities built on the lunar surface and/or orbit." ".
The China National Space Administration announced almost simultaneously that the project is "open to all interested countries and international partners." Experts said that this will be China's largest international space cooperation project to date and Russia's largest related project, and its scale will surpass the ISS international space station .
Russia hopes to use China's cooperation to regain its leading position in the space race. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Russia's first manned space flight. In 1961, Russia sent Yuri Gagarin into space, and two years later it sent its first female Tereshkova into space.
But in recent years, Russia has lagged behind Washington and Beijing in the exploration of the moon and Mars, which may prompt Russia to rush to promote cooperation with China. This year, China will continuously carry out many major launch missions, including launching the core part of the new space station, and sending many batches of astronauts to the space station. This will provide another channel for Russia to participate in China's cooperation projects.
At the same time, China is seeking to establish a closer aerospace science and technology partnership with Moscow,There are already diversified space cooperation with Russia, so it is logical to start a further cooperation project with Russia.
Last year, China made a number of major aerospace technological breakthroughs, including the previous Chang'e-5 after completing the sampling mission on the back of the moon, and launched the "Tianwen-1" Mars rover . The probe is currently orbiting Mars and is about to conduct landing exploration. Chang'e-5 successfully brought back rock and soil samples from the moon, which was the first such mission in more than 40 years. The Mars mission is the first Mars landing exploration mission led by China. In the past, China relied on Russian rockets to launch the "Firefly" Mars orbiter, but the probe failed to enter the intended orbit after launch and the project failed.
The US aerospace analyst who specializes in China's space program said that the Sino-Russian joint lunar space station is "a major event." He said: "This will be China's largest international space cooperation project, and it is of great significance."
Russian Space Agency Director Dmitry Rogozin wrote on Twitter that he invited Zhang Kejian, Director of China National Space Administration Participated in the launch ceremony of Russia's first modern lunar landing probe "Lunar 25". The lander is scheduled to be launched on October 1. This is the first lunar lander launched by Russia since 1976.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has already set its sights on Mars and has also achieved the world's most advanced Mars scientific research achievement. Last week, their "Perseverance" Span1span rover conducted its first driving test after a successful landing on Mars. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) finally intends to implement a human mission to Mars. The plan is still in its preliminary stages. NASA is likely to work closely with the private company SpaceX to achieve this extremely difficult mission.
For the time being, Russia and the United States are still cooperating in space,Including the International Space Station and some personnel and cargo launch missions, this is one of the few areas of cooperation between the two rival countries.
However, Russia did not agree to formally participate in the lunar exploration program led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) last year. The participating countries of the program have signed a document to join the US-led "Artemis" moon Plan . Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced the official launch of the Artemis plan during his term of office. The goal is to be led by NASA to send the first woman and the next man to the moon in 2024, but Russia chose not to participate for the time being. The plan.
Last year, after American Aerospace Company SpaceX successfully completed its first manned launch mission, the Russian Space Agency lost its monopoly on transporting personnel to the International Space Station. This is another time the Russian aerospace industry has suffered. Hit, their major source of income will drop significantly because of SpaceX's competition. This year, SpaceX has repeatedly tested the prototype of the Starship spacecraft that will be used for Mars missions in the future, and successfully completed the landing test for the first time. This has also put a lot of pressure on the Russian space launch business.
Under the influence of various factors, China and Russia chose to come together to promote the lunar exploration base project of bilateral cooperation, which is of great significance. Especially in the context of the tension between the United States and these two countries, if China and Russia can achieve major breakthroughs in space cooperation, it will have a certain deterrent effect on the United States.
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