Support The Moscow Times!

Russia, China Sign Space Exploration Deal

Roscosmos

Russia and China have signed a memorandum of understanding on lunar and deep space exploration amid Moscow’s deteriorating relations with the West. 

The two countries have been in talks to create a lunar research station since at least 2015, with space exploration a key part of the recently signed bilateral 2018-2022 cooperation program.  Although space remains one of the rare areas of Russian-U.S. cooperation, Russia’s Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) has reportedly drafted a contingency plan in case of deteriorating relationships that would shift space cooperation to China. 

The agreement was signed following Putin’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Roscosmos said in a statement.

The new head of Roscosmos, former deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin, is expected to meet with his counterpart from China’s national space agency, CNSA, on Friday.

The memorandum follows up on a March 3 Roscosmos-CNSA agreement to cooperate on lunar and deep space exploration by establishing a joint data center.   

Rogozin trumpeted a future of increased cooperation with the emerging CNSA in his previous capacity. On the eve of another Putin-Xi summit in 2014, the now-head of Roscosmos announced that he had signed protocols to carry out “cooperation in space and in the market for space navigation” strategic projects. 

China launched a relay satellite to explore the far side of the moon in May, while Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to send a mission to the moon next year. 

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more