The mission will roll out in two phases, as informed by Wu Yanhan, China’s major deep space exploration programme, during an event on September 5.The basic version of the base will be completed by 2035, and the base will undergo further development until 2050. Many international launches, including the Chang’e-7 and 8, are scheduled to lift off in this decade, with the earliest launch in 2026.
What is the current update?
The first phase of the Chinese deep space exploration project is to be completed by the probable 2035. Here, the first Earth-moon cislunar base will be built near the lunar south pole. The reason for focusing on this region is because it contains deposits of water ice beneath the surface and offers a rather stable environment for ensuring long-term stays by humans and robots.
The extended model of the lunar base would be constructed by around 2050. In the extended phase, infrastructure and capabilities of the lunar base are to be continued that might allow long-term scientific research, resource utilization, and even human living on the Moon. The project thus underlines China’s intent to play a greater role in space exploration and make its contributions to humanity’s better understanding and utilization of the resources of the Moon.
What is China’s objective?
The Moon base will be able to conduct scientific research within a 100km (62-mile) radius of the lunar south pole. The network of research facilities will expand from the south pole to the equator and far side by 2050.
The ILRS will be a “comprehensive lunar station network that utilizes the lunar orbit station as its central hub and the south pole station as its primary base, and it will include exploration nodes on the lunar equator and the far side of the Moon,” said Wu Weiren, the chief designer of the Sino lunar program, according to state media outlet Xinhua. Interestingly, China believes that after the completion of ILRS, the station will also help build the foundation for further crewed landings on Mars.
China plans to work with 50 countries on this mission, and in that direction, it already has partnered with 13 nations—Russia, Venezuela, Belarus, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Egypt, Nicaragua, Thailand, Serbia, Kazakhstan, and the latest being the country of Senegal. ILRS is being seen as a rival to the US’s ambitious Artemis program, which makes this lunar colonization competitive and interesting.
Wu Weiren said at another event, “So far, we have signed agreements with more than 10 countries and nearly 30 international research institutions. We hope to work with 50 countries by inviting 500 foreign scientific research institutions, and 5,000 foreign scientific research personnel to jointly build our international lunar scientific research station.”
