Russia, China sign agreement on joint lunar exploration - Roscosmos head

MOSCOW. Dec 21 (Interfax) - Russia and China have signed an agreement on the joint exploration of the Moon and the opening of a lunar base, Roscosmos head Yury Borisov said.

"An agreement on the joint work in this area was signed with the Chinese side a short time ago," Borisov said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel (VGTRK).

As Borisov said earlier, "it is extremely difficult to implement such projects alone, even by such countries as Russia, from the angle of financing and full possession of relevant competences." "Such projects require the broadest international cooperation," Borisov said at the Znanie (Knowledge) marathon on September 1.

Russia and China signed an intergovernmental memorandum of mutual understanding on cooperation in building an international lunar research station.

They presented a roadmap for the joint construction of a lunar base on June 16, 2021.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on December 5 that a Russian-Chinese intergovernmental agreement had been drafted for building an international lunar research station.

Former Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with Interfax on December 15, 2021, that the equality of partners was a key aspect of the Russian-Chinese lunar station project, while the absence of equality was the primary reason why Russia had quit the U.S. Gateway project.

Roscosmos Deputy General Director for International Cooperation Sergei Savelyev said earlier that the corporation did not rule out the participation of private companies in the project.