Russia, China Sign Cooperation Agreement To Explore Moon, Deep Space

Russia, China Sign Cooperation Agreement to Explore Moon, Deep Space

Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration on Tuesday signed an agreement to create a joint research center to explore the Moon and deep space, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the signing ceremony

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2019) Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration on Tuesday signed an agreement to create a joint research center to explore the Moon and deep space, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the signing ceremony.

The two space agencies have also signed an agreement on coordinating Russia's Luna Resurs-1 orbiter mission (Luna-26) and the Chinese mission for exploring the polar region of the Moon, Chang'e-7.

In January 2019, head researcher of the Russian Space Research Institute Lev Zeleny told Sputnik that the two nations were discussing the possibility of using Russia's Luna-26 lunar orbiter as a responder for Chinese lunar landing stations.

The Chang'e-7 mission involves a general study of the Moon's south pole, including its terrain and landforms.

Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said earlier that the Luna-26 spacecraft would fly to the Moon in 2024 to map and remotely study its surface. The obtained data will help determine the composition of the lunar surface.