China and Russia have recently signed a planetary pact. This plan for a joint lunar space station was unveiled on March 9, 2021.
Highlights
This pact was signed between the countries because Russia seeks to regain the glory of space pioneering which was there in the Soviet times while China geared up its own extra-terrestrial ambitions. Russia was once the one among the top countries of space travel. It has a record of sending the first man into space. But, the cosmic ambitions of Russia dimmed the glory because of poor financing and corruption. The glory of Russia has been captured by China and the United States. Both of these countries have achieved major success in space exploration and research.
Russia-China collaboration
The Russian space agency Roscosmos stated that, it had signed a pact with the National Space Administration (CNSA) of China with the objective of developing a complex of experimental research facilities which have been created on either surface or in the orbit of Moon. Under the collaboration, Russia’s first modern lunar lander called “Luna 25” has been scheduled to launch on October 1, 2021.
Manned Space flights
Russia will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of its first-ever manned space flight. The country had sent Yuri Gagarin into space in April 1961. In 1963, it again sent the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, into space. The United States also launched its first manned space flight following Russia in May 1961. Russia sent Alan Shepard into space on the Mercury-Redstone 3 flight.
China’s biggest international pact
China has launched in 2020, the Tianwen-1 probe to Mars which is currently orbiting it. Again, in December 2020 it successfully brought the rock and soil samples from Moon back to Earth. In the line, this joint lunar space station pact is the largest international space cooperation project for China.