South Africa and China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see the building of a research base on the moon.
The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) announced that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Cen Xiaodong on behalf of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the Ambassador of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of South Africa, and Humbulani Mudau, the CEO of Sansa, marking SA's formal entry into China's International Lunar Research Station program.
The research base is expected to be completed by 2030.
In a statement, Sansa said under the MoU, South Africa will cooperate extensively on demonstration, mission implementation, operation and application, education and training of the ILRS.
"In addition, under the cooperation framework of BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation, China’s and South Africa’s space agencies carried out cooperations on remote sensing data exchange and application, and satellite ground stations," the agency added.
Sansa said on the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations establishment between China and South Africa, South Africa’s formal entry of ILRS Cooperation indicates that China-South Africa cooperation has been extended from near-earth space to the moon and deep space beyond.
"It plays a significant role in boosting technology advances and building a high-standard community with a shared future for China and SA," Sansa stated.
In a statement, CNSA said South Africa's participation shows the cooperation between China and South Africa extends from near-Earth space to the moon and deep space exploration, which will contribute to the space science and technology advancement between the two countries.
IOL