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.
Note: (*) denotes founding memberReporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Artemis, Ryan Woo, Emelia Sithole
Organizations:
China's, Research, Thomson
Locations:
BEIJING, Belarus, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, China, Russia, U.S