CHINA and Russia are hoping to have built a manned station on the Moon in just 13 years.
The lunar station is part of a new US-rivalling space agreement between the titans.
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Both nations are expected to sign a formal agreement to build the base.
The core infrastructure is expected to be in place by 2035.
That would include key systems for life support and communications – as well as power for the base.
The station would be occupied by humans who would conduct groundbreaking science on the lunar surface.
China and Russia have previously hailed this upcoming relationship, but are expected to sign the agreement later this year.
The former hopes to have sent astronauts to the Moon by 2030.
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It would be a first for the space-faring nation – long after the USA’s Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
All 12 humans who have walked on the Moon were part of the Apollo program. The dozen men made their trips between 1969 and 1972.
China has visited the Moon with a lander and rover in recent years, but a manned mission remains an ambition.
The US also has its own lunar ambitions.
Nasa is currently preparing for its Artemis program, with the main goal of returning humans to the Moon.
It’s hoped that men (and for the first time) women will touch down at the lunar South Pole by 2025.
The first Artemis mission is expected to take place in March 2022.
It’s an unscrewed lunar orbit and return using the new Space Launch System (SLS).
Artemis II takes flight in May 2024 with a 4-person lunar flyby.
And Artemis III in 2025 is expected to be a 4-person lunar orbit and a 2-person lunar landing.
In 2026, Artemis hopes to introduce the main habitat module of the Lunar Gateway, a small space station in lunar orbit.
And a follow-up mission in 2027 will add a refuelling module to the gateway.
The Lunar Gateway is a joint mission with Nasa and the European, Japanese and Canadian space agencies.
It’s expected to be the first space station beyond low Earth orbit – in “deep space” – and the first to orbit the Moon.
Scientists hope the Lunar Gateway can reveal more about human biology in space, planets and astrophysics, and even Earth itself.
And the ultimate hope is that the Gateway can also help to explore deeper into the Solar System, including permanent human presence on the Moon and Mars.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
