BEIJING, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Belarus this week joined China's International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) programme, the third country to sign up this month for a plan to eventually set up a permanently inhabited outpost on the moon's south pole.
Earlier in October, Pakistan and Azerbaijan joined the ILRS, a project jointly initiated by China and Russia in 2021 and widely seen as a rival to the U.S.-led Artemis programme.
Lunar missions this decade will establish a "basic" version of the research station, followed by more missions in the 2030s to construct a "full" version of the base.
By 2050, the ILRS is expected to be a fully operational station for lunar research, and potentially also a launch pad for crewed missions to other planets in the solar system.
Country
|
Year/Month joined
|
China*
|
2021/June
|
Russia*
|
2021/June
|
Venezuela
|
2023/July
|
South Africa
|
2023/September
|
Azerbaijan
|
2023/October
|
Pakistan
|
2023/October
|
Belarus
|
2023/October
|
Note: (*) denotes founding member
- Adenman
- 1
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