Russia, China reveal moon base roadmap but no plans for astronaut trips yet - Space.com

China and Russia have invited international partners to join them in building a moon base but revealed they don't plan to send astronauts to the moon  in the next decade. .

The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) will consist of a space station in lunar orbit, a moon base on the surface and a set of mobile rovers and intelligent "hopping" robots, according to representatives of Russia's space agency Roscosmos and China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday (June 16), Chinese and Russian space officials said they were already in negotiations with international partners including the European Space Agency (ESA), Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to join their endeavour. .

By 2025, the space agencies will choose a site for the moon base, with construction expected to follow between 2026 to 2035.

The ILRS will become operational from 2036 onwards, providing a range of scientific facilities and equipment to study lunar topography, geomorphology, chemistry, geology and internal structure of the moon, as well as enabling space and Earth observations from the moon's surface!

The base on the surface will be serviced via an orbiting station in cislunar space between the moon and Earth, that will see regular traffic between the two celestial bodies. !

Earlier this year, Russia announced plans to build its own space station in low Earth orbit, the region of space below 620 miles (1000 kilometers) and threatened to leave the International Space Station cooperation as a retaliation against U.S.

China launched the first module of its new space station, Tianhe, into low Earth orbit in April this year.