China and Russia join forces to occupy moon before US and UK in new ‘space race’

The new "space race" will see China and Russia join forces to occupy the moon before the United States and United Kingdom, according to reports.

Reports in Russia said that an agreement signed by both countries last year to jointly work toward establishing a lunar station have been ratified as Chinese media has hailed it as a "perfect match".

The two countries announced they'd reached a "no-limits" partnership just before Vladimir Putin launched his full scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. The conflict has not derailed the plan and the construction of the lunar base is expected to be completed in the 2030s, heralding a new space race between the great powers.

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It is believed that the first stage of the plan for the International Lunar Research Station will see the China National Space Administration and Roscosmos scout out a position on the moon for a base before setting up a control centre and shipping cargo to the lunar surface.

Thirdly, they will continue to develop lunar modules and work towards getting humans to the moon in a bid to have them live there for a duration.

Chinese tabloid The Global Times said the joint project would "greatly enhance the space exploration capabilities of both countries by leveraging their respective strengths, with China bringing abundant resources and skills while Russia contributes its expertise and innovative thinking."

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China can throw its economic might behind the sleeping giant of Russia, whose space projects have been "relatively lackluster" in comparison to its glory days, the daily reported.

In 2013 the Chinese rover Zhurong touched down on Mars.

South Africa, Venezuela, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Belarus have also signed on to collaborate on the project, with the Russia-China alliance sating that all interested parties are welcome.

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