China, Russia, Europe to jointly explore plan for research station on Moon

Space authorities of China, Europe and Russia have agreed to jointly explore the plan to build a scientific research station on the Moon, a senior Chinese space official said Monday.

An passenger airplane of Mesa Airlines ASH5630 approaching Los Angeles International Airport flies past the moon in Los Angeles, California, on November 23, 2015. [File Photo: IC]

The joint exploration will focus on the scientific objectives of the station, as well as system-related or mission-based discussions, said Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Participants will jointly plan and design the station, coordinate their implementation of the plan and ultimately share the scientific results, Wu said at an international conference on the exploration of the Moon and the deep space that opened Monday in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province.

Pei Zhaoyu, deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the CNSA, said the construction plan for the station is expected to be completed after two to three years of deliberations by an international team of scientists.

An intergovernmental coordination committee on the lunar research station will be established, according to Pei.

Wu Weiren, a chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, said China will use the fourth phase of the program as well as its following missions to assess the viability of working on the Moon for a long period of time.

China, Russia and Europe have all put forward or showed inclinations for the idea of building a scientific base on the Moon.