MOSCOW. May 28 (Interfax) - Russia and China have set up a joint center for exchanging lunar research data and for coordinating Russia's Luna 26 and China's Chang'e-7 missions, Roscosmos Deputy Director for International Cooperation Sergei Savelyev said.
"We are coordinating our missions, have set up a joint center for data exchange, and are working to coordinate our Luna 26 mission due in 2027 with the Chinese Chang'e-7 mission," Savelyev said at a plenary meeting of the State Duma on Tuesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, the State Duma ratified a Russian-Chinese intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the construction of an international lunar research station.
Russia and China presented a roadmap for building the joint lunar base in June 2021. They signed an intergovernmental memorandum of mutual understanding on cooperation in constructing an international lunar research station in March 2021.
Roscosmos head Yury Borisov said on May 16 that Russia and China would begin lunar expansion after 2036. He also said in early March 2024 that both countries planned to deliver and install a nuclear power plant on the Moon in approximately 2033-2035.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said on December 25, 2023, that China's Chang'e-7 would carry Russian research instruments to the Moon. The corporation said the Chang'e-7 mission was scheduled for 2026.