Wu Weiren, head of China’s lunar exploration program confirmed some details about its ambitious International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project. Within the framework of the China Space Conference, the manager announced that it is a long-term plan that contemplates three phases: one of them on the surface of the Moon, the other in the orbit of the natural satellite and finally a kind of central travel on Earth.
In its first stage, scientists will build a base station in the south polar region of the Moon. This would be one of the first permanent buildings on the satellite, with essential functions and intended to use the region’s resources on a limited scale. The southern latitudes interest scientists around the world because that is where traces of frozen water are most likely to be found in craters that have never seen the light of the Sun. According to data from the news agency Xinhuathe Chinese cabin will be ready by 2035.
Over the next 10 years, China’s presence on the Moon will expand. According to the plan presented, by 2045 there will be a space station orbiting the satellite. It will function as a headquarters for scientific facilities and operations. The experiments carried out on the station, focused on manned landing and monitoring, will be used for operations on Mars.
The Moon will have its own official time
NASA was tasked by the White House to present a plan for the creation of Coordinated Lunar Time, an “official time” on the Moon necessary to coordinate all future space mission activities.
They will eventually build a specialized “entry” center on Earth that connects the space station and laboratories on the surface of the Moon. The Asian plan considers establishing a specialized direct route on the satellite to “carry out multidisciplinary technological activities with multiple objectives on a large scale over a long period,” according to the report.
It will not be a closed research ecosystem. Wu Weiren affirms that his nation will welcome 50 countries, 500 international research institutions and up to 5,000 foreign researchers to work together, both in the construction of facilities and in the consolidation of unique scientific experiments. Among the new partners of the ILRS are the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, the Arab Union of Astronomy and Space Sciences and even Central American countries such as Nicaragua.
China’s presence on the Moon
China is the second country with the largest presence around the Earth’s natural satellite. They are the second nation to manage to place their flag on the lunar regolith, two of their rovers They continue to operate and before the start of 2030 they will launch two orbiters to investigate the resources of the South Pole.
Meanwhile, the United States has an idea similar to the ILRS, although with its partners from the European, Japanese and Canadian Space Agency. The North American country remains focused on the consolidation of the Artemis III mission, which involves the return of astronauts to lunar soil after 50 years of doing so for the first time. Once the crew sets foot on the satellite, they will work on building research bases on the ground that will operate in conjunction with the Gateway space station.
There are no plans to recreate a project similar to the International Space Station although its retirement is very close. The closest thing to this is the Tiangong station in China, which continues its growth through the installation of modules. While it has so far been operated only by Chinese personnel, they have publicly announced that they will host researchers from other nations.
