World: Russia and China have jointly planned a space station on the moon. Both countries involved in the growing competition of space missions do not want to lag behind America. A NASA station sent to space is already in place.
The Russian space agency Roskomos has issued a statement saying it has signed an agreement with the National Space Administration (CNSA) of China to build a complex research center on the lunar surface or orbit. The CNSA has stated on its behalf that the project is “open to all countries and international partners who are interested in it.” Experts are describing this as China’s most significant program for international cooperation in space.
Russia, once the head of space missions in the Soviet era, wants to consolidate its position once again. Russia was sent to man for the first time in space, but in the following years, the poor economic condition and corruption have marginalized the country in the matter of space missions, and in the meantime, NASA has strengthened its place. On the other hand, China’s ambitions for space are also on the rise. In the lastfew decades, the United States and China have been increasingly participating in space exploration missions.
Race for space
There has been a competition for space missions in the past years. After Russia, America, China, Japan, European countries, India, UAE has also joined this competition. Russia is eager to run again in this race. This year, Russia is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the mission to send humans to space for the first time.
In April 1961, Yuri Gagarin made history by traveling to space, and two years later, Valentina Tereshkova became the 1st woman to do so. However, after this, Russia lagged behind the US and China in exploratory missions to the moon and Mars.
Meanwhile, China has started a successful space program on its own, trying to strengthen cooperation with Russia. Last year, China sent the Tianheven-1 probe to collect information about Mars, which is still orbiting the red planet. In December, China succeeded in bringing soil and rock samples from the lunar surface to the earth.
This was the first such campaign in the last 40 years. Independent analyst Chen Lan, who oversees China’s space program, says, “The joint space station is a big thing for the moon. It will be the biggest international cooperation program in space for China; it is essential.”
Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos, has tweeted on Twitter that he has summoned CNSA chief Zhang Qijian to Russia to launch Russia’s first modern lander Luna 25. It will leave for space on October 1 and after 1976, it will be the first robot to land on Russia’s moon.
NASA’s priorities
The US space agency NASA has now set its eyes on Mars. His percussion rover started walking on the red planet last week. NASA is also in the process of sending humans to Mars, although its preparations are still in the initial stage. Russia and America have been cooperating in the matter of space. Space among Cold War rivals is one of the few things for which cooperation continues.
However, Russia did not sign Artemis Accord last year. This has happened among some countries under the leadership of America on the search expeditions to the moon. Under this, NASA wants to send the first woman to the moon. After the female astronaut, it will be the turn of the male and for this, the target has been fixed till 2024.
The American company SpaceX also gave Roskosmos a shock last year. So far, Russia has ruled in the case of manned flight in space missions. This agency has been doing the work of sending humans and machines for American campaigns.
Now SpaceX has broken Russia’s domination by sending humans for the first time on the International Space Station. Elon Musk’s company SpaceX has now emerged as a significant player in this field. By 2023, she will also start taking ordinary people on a space journey. For this, many people have begun making their bookings and at the top of it is the name of a Japanese billionaire.
Ramanjot Kaur is a dedicated journalist with a Master’s in Journalism and Mass Communication, specializing in economic and political news reporting with incisive analysis and integrity.
