The Russian Cabinet approved the proposal of "Roscosmos" to sign a Memorandum of understanding between the governments of Russia and China on cooperation to establish an international lunar research station. The order was published on February 12 on the official Internet portal of legal information.
"To accept the proposal of the State Corporation for Space Activities Roscosmos, agreed with the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian Ministry of Justice and other interested federal executive authorities and previously worked out with the Chinese side, to sign a memorandum of understanding between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on cooperation in the creation of an international scientific lunar station," the document says.
Roscosmos was instructed to sign this memorandum on behalf of the Russian government, "allowing it to make changes that are not of a fundamental nature."
Russia and China agreed to cooperate in the field of lunar and deep space exploration in September 2019.
Then Roscosmos reported that the start of the implementation of the three stages of the lunar program is planned for 2024. By this time, the study of the Earth's satellite will begin to be conducted from the orbit of this celestial body with the help of the Luna-Resurs-1 spacecraft. Approximately in 2027, the Luna-Grunt spacecraft will deliver lunar soil to Earth.
A manned flight to the Moon with a landing on its surface is planned for 2030.
