China-Russia’Moon Alliance’ to fight back against the U.S. with space station development

The Chinese National Port and Heaven Agency (CNSA) unveiled the appearance of the five Chinese flags hoisted on the surface of the moon. China’s unmanned lunar probe, Changeo 5, was erected on the lunar surface in December last year. [CNSA]

China and Russia jointly decided to build a space station on the moon. China, which was unable to participate in the International Space Station (ISS) project, joined hands with Russia to counterattack against the US’s concerns over technology takeover.

On the 9th (local time), according to the Global Times, a Chinese state media, on the day, Zhang Kezhen, director of the CNSA, and Dmitry Rogozin, president of the Russian Federation of Space Corporation (Roscosmos) ‘(International Lunar and Research station) (ILRS) signed a memorandum of understanding for joint construction.

Exploration Rover Witu-2, which arrived on the back of the moon after being loaded on Changeo 4 in 2019. [CNSA]

The memorandum of understanding is that a complex research facility complex (space station) will be built to support astronauts to experiment in the orbit and surface of the moon. From design to operation, the two countries jointly carry out the project. CNSA and Roscosmos said the facility will be open to countries other than China and Russia.

Earlier in June 2019, the Chinese authorities said, “It has approved cooperation between the Chinese space station project in which 17 countries and 23 organizations participate.” Revealed.

The surface of the back of the moon, which was unveiled for the first time in mankind by CNSA. Changeo 4 was filmed. [CNSA]

This was the nature of a face-to-face response to the US’ exclusion from China. In the early 1990s, the United States involved 16 countries, including Russia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan, in the ISS project, but China’s application was rejected. Then, until the early 2000s, these countries sent dozens of cargo ships such as the space shuttle, Soyuz, and Progress to assemble the ISS.

Accordingly, China launched its own space station’Tiangung 1’in 2011, becoming the third country with docking technology after the United States and Russia. However, in March 2016, communication with the Earth was cut off, and in 2018, it fell in the South Pacific. Criticism was raised that “it almost caused damage to other countries,” but China continued its’space movement’.

NASA’s twin space suits were displayed at Sotheby’s, a New York auction company, in November 2018. [UPI=연합뉴스]

CNN estimates that space exploration technology has also developed rapidly as the Chinese government has poured billions of dollars over the past decade. In January 2019, the unmanned probe Changeo 4 was launched and landed on the “backside” of the moon for the first time in mankind. Since then, in December of last year, Changeo 5 also landed on the moon and succeeded in collecting samples. It was 40 years after the US in the 1960s and the former Soviet Union in the 1970s.

China’s’space drill’ gained momentum by joining hands with Russia.

A portrait of Yuri Gagarin, a former Soviet astronaut who succeeded in space exploration for the first time in 1961. [AP=연합뉴스]

The’China-Russian Space Alliance’ fits in with Russia, which is trying to rebuild the glory of the former Soviet Union. Recently, Russia has made plans to explore the moon three times over the next five years. It plans to launch the’Luna 25′ on October 1st and land it near the lunar Antarctic. It has been 45 years since launching the lunar lander’Luna 24′ in 1976. It seems that it was judged that it would be more advantageous to secure the initiative to join hands with China than to participate in the US-centered manned lunar base construction project.

China and Russia previously agreed to cooperate with the Changeo 7 (China) and Luna 27 (Russia) projects. China plans to send Changeo 7 to the lunar Antarctica by 2027, while Russia plans to send exploration rover Luna 27 as part of a project to establish a manned settlement on the moon. The two countries also agreed to jointly build a data center for the moon and space exploration.

The United States is currently promoting the’Artemis’ program, which sends astronauts to the moon by 2024 and residents from 2028. Seven countries including Australia, Canada, Japan, Italy, Luxembourg, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed an agreement to participate in the project. Russia also received an offer, but had a negative reaction, saying it was “too American oriented.”

Reporter Jeong Eun-hye [email protected]