China wants 50 countries to participate in its ILRS lunar base

HELSINKI — China aims to work with 50 countries on its ILRS lunar south pole base program as efforts to attract partners continue.

“We are open and welcome international cooperation from all countries, including the countries of the Global South, emerging BRICS countries as well as Western countries,” Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, told the China Global Television Network (CGTN ). ahead of International Moon Day, July 20.

The call comes days after NASA canceled the mission of the robotic VIPER rover, which would have searched for ice on the moon’s south pole.

China aims to build a main International Lunar Reconnaissance Station (ILRS) by 2035 and an extended station by 2045.

“So far, we have signed agreements with more than 10 countries and nearly 30 international research institutions. We hope to work with 50 countries by inviting 500 foreign scientific research institutions and 5,000 foreign scientific researchers to jointly build our international lunar research station,” Wu said.

China is known to have attracted 10 countries to join it and Russia in the venture. These are Venezuela, Belarus, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Egypt, Nicaragua, Thailand, Serbia and most recently Kazakhstan.

Turkey is understood to have applied for accession. Meanwhile, a series of universities, companies, institutes and regional organizations have signed memorandums of understanding on ILRS.

Continued diplomatic pressure suggests a delay in earlier plans to attract founding partners for the project.

Chinese officials said in 2023 that they aimed to establish the International Lunar Research Station Cooperation Organization (ILRSCO) later that year. The organization will coordinate and manage the construction of the ILRS lunar base, but its foundation has not yet been announced.

China’s efforts are largely focused on the Global South, somewhat mirroring the country’s broader diplomatic actions. Subnational diplomacy also led to the expansion of additional countries into the program.

The latest example saw the Hungarian Solar Physics Foundation sign a memorandum of understanding with China’s Deep Space Research Laboratory (DSEL), led by Wu, this month.

Bahrain, a party to the Artemis Accords, also signed an agreement with China covering lunar and deep space exploration in late May.

Agreement on ILRS was not expressly stated. However, Bahrain will cooperate with Egypt to jointly develop a hyperspectral imaging payload for identification of lunar surface material for Chang’e-7. This Chinese mission to the lunar south pole, a precursor to the ILRS, is due to launch in 2026.

Peru, another signatory to the Artemis Accords, participates in the ILRS through its participation in the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO).

China jointly announced the ILRS with Russia in June 2021. Since then, China has taken a diplomatic lead following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It also leads on a mission level, given the recent successful Chang’e-6 mission and the loss of Luna-25.

The invasion of Ukraine appears to have ended the prospect of Western intervention in the ILRS. The European Space Agency has said it will not participate in the ILRS project because of Russian involvement.

The US also has sanctions and policies that prohibit cooperation with Russia. Additionally, language present in NASA’s appropriations bills, known as the Wolff Amendment, places severe restrictions on the agency’s ability to engage with Chinese entities.

ILRS: South Pole and Resource Development

Wu also provided some further insight into ILRS plans in terms of destination and goals.

“We are preparing to build a lunar research station at the south pole of the Moon. This research station will be combined with an orbital station and a station on the lunar surface, plus ground facilities such as headquarters for major science projects.

The ILRS will “enable scientific research and resource development,” Wu said.

China is preparing two predecessor missions, called Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8, later this decade. They will map and survey resources on the Moon’s south pole and test resource utilization technologies in situ. Both missions will involve a number of international partners.

Chang’e-7 will include a small spacecraft to explore permanently shadowed regions to study the presence of water ice there. This was the main objective of the VIPER mission.

China aims to build a permanent lunar base with five missions to establish energy, communication and other infrastructure. China also aims to send astronauts to the moon before 2030.