South Africa joined forces with China to build a research base on the moon last year, with representatives of the Chinese and SA space agencies signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September to "cooperate extensively" on the project.
The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project is being led by China, together with Russia, but South Africa is one of a host of countries that have agreed to help. Russia and China signed a MoU in 2021 to build a "comprehensive scientific experiment base" on the lunar surface and or in lunar orbit to carry out "multidisciplinary and multiobjective scientific research activities".
South Africa and China, meanwhile, intend to cooperate in the demonstration, mission implementation, operation and application, education and training of the ILRS project. "South Africa’s formal entry of ILRS Cooperation indicates that China-South Africa cooperation has been extended from near-earth space to the moon and deep space beyond," read a South African National Space Agency (Sansa) statement announcing the signing of the MoU.
Sansa's communications head, Venashree Maharaj, told News24 in September last year that collaborating on the project would open up opportunities for South African academics, engineers, technicians, and local industry.
Maharaj said:
We really cannot continue to operate as we have just within the constraints of Earth. Let's also create those aspirations for South African citizens.
Since the turn of the century, China has been making significant progress in space exploration. The country’s space agency launched its first human into space in 2003, and has built its space exploration capacity significantly since then.
To date, the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos, have released illustrations of what the research base on the moon could look like.
As of late December, China has been exhibiting replicas of some of the space infrastructure the country has launched or plans to launch at the Shanghai New International Expo Center.
Scaled-down rockets, moon landers, space station components and low-gravity agriculture facilities are on display.
A Chinese state media video showcases the infrastructure in the room, with a narrator explaining the function of the infrastructure.
Some of the replicas are of infrastructure already in space, including of the core module of the Tiangong space station, known as the Sky Palace, a permanently crewed space station orbiting Earth.
Other infrastructure, including lunar modules which will transport astronauts to and from the moon, is yet to be used for a mission.
A rocket, moon lander, and return capsule that will be used to support manned missions to the moon are on display at the exhibition.
According to a CNSA presentation, the establishment of the base will follow a phased approach, starting with the establishment of infrastructure that will supply basic energy and telecommunications services.
Based on the timeline in the presentation, the moon base will be constructed between 2031 and 2035.
News 24
