China and Russia are expected to sign a new five-year agreement on space cooperation next year, state media said, as the two neighbours plan to team up in space in the intensifying competition with the United States.
Under the new deal, which is to come into effect in 2023 after the current agreement ends next year, the two sides plan to jointly build an international lunar research station by 2035.
Earlier this week, Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), told state broadcaster CCTV that the country would carry out three further missions to the moon in the next 10 years, including the Chang’e 8 moon landing mission, which aims to set up a lunar research station by around 2027.
If achieved, that would establish the research base eight years before the deal with Russia proposes to do so.
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