International Lunar Research Station

On 9 March 2021, China and Russia signed a “Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Russian Federation Regarding Cooperation for the Construction of the International Lunar Research Station.”^[14] On 16 June 2021, Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) held a joint session in St. Petersburg, Russia, on the auspices of the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2021), dedicated to the presentation of the Roadmap for the creation of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The session was attended by Sergei Saveliev, the Deputy Director General of Roscosmos for International Cooperation and Wu Yanhua, the Vice Administrator of CNSA (remotely).^{[citation needed]}

Roscosmos and CNSA representatives held consultations on a draft declaration in September 2021, together with experts from Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Thailand and the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. The talks took place behind closed doors.^[15]

In June 2023, two more countries joined the International Lunar Research Station project, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, as well as the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO).^{[citation needed]}

In July 2023, China's Deep Space Exploration Laboratory announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Swiss company Nano-SPACE for Cooperation on the International Lunar Research Station project.^[16] On the same day, a letter of intent was also signed with the Hawaii-based, non-profit International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA Hawai'i) (which already participated in the Chang'e-3 lander mission) for cooperation on the ILRS initiative, despite earlier restrictions by U.S. Congress limiting American collaboration with the China National Space Administration.^{[citation needed]} ILRS's lab director Wu Weiren also led in-depth talks with officials from France's Thales Group, which considers the possibility for future cooperation with the Chinese space agency.^[17]

On July 17, 2023, Venezuela formally joined the ILRS initiative, with its Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities signing an agreement with China's CNSA which, among other things, provided China access to Venezuelan ground stations in support of ILRS missions.^[18]

On September 1, 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Humbulani Mudau, CEO of SANSA (the South African National Space Agency), and Chen Xiaodong, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, acting on behalf of CNSA. The agreement will reportedly see CNSA and SANSA carry out extensive cooperation in the demonstration, implementation, operation and application of the ILRS, as well as training and other areas.^[19]

On October 3, 2023, an agreement was signed between China's CNSA and Azerbaijan's Azercosmos regarding the latter's entry into the International Lunar Research Station Program. Azercosmos director Samaddin Asadov signed the agreement at the 74th International Astronautical Conference, held in Baku.^[1]

ILRS is a complex experimental research facility to be constructed with a possible attraction of partners on the surface and/or in the orbit of the Moon designed for multi-discipline and multi-purpose scientific research activities, including exploration and use of the Moon, Moon-based observation, fundamental research experiments, and technology verification with the capability of long-term uncrewed operation with the prospect of subsequent human presence.^[29]

• Politics of outer space
• Space law
• Moon Treaty
• Coordinated Lunar Time
• Artemis Accords – Multilateral agreement on human moon exploration
• Artemis program – NASA-led lunar exploration program
• Chinese Lunar Exploration Program – Lunar research program (2004–present)
• Luna-Glob – Moon exploration program by the Russian Federal Space Agency
• Moonbase – Long-term human settlement on the Moon