China signs MOU with Moon Village Association on moon research lab

China's Deep Space Exploration Lab (DSEL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Moon Village Association (MVA) on building an international research lab on the moon, the DSEL announced on Friday.

DSEL Director Wu Weiren and MVA President Giuseppe Reibaldi signed the MOU on July 17.

Reibaldi said they are eager to forge a cooperative relationship with China to promote the construction of the international lunar research station and associated projects.

During the meeting, Wu, also the chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, introduced the accomplishments of China's lunar exploration endeavors and gave an update on the international lunar research station plan. 

Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu from the MVA's advisory council, who's also president of the Space Explorer Association, and MVA Vice President Jan Kolar, who formerly oversaw the Czech Space Office, also joined the meeting. 

The pair, as well as Reibaldi, briefed the meeting on their organization and extended their congratulations on China's achievements in deep space exploration.

The Moon Village Association, a non-governmental organization acknowledged by the United Nations, was founded in Vienna, Austria, in 2017. It aims to foster international collaboration in lunar exploration and settlement.

Latest on China's lunar exploration

In June, China's Chang'e-6 mission just returned the first lunar samples from the far side of the moon to Earth in human history, which were collected from the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

Following that, China is scheduled to launch the Chang'e-7 mission in 2026, aiming to land the country's first spacecraft at the south pole of the moon to look for evidence of water, according to Wu in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) last year.

Then, the Chang'e-8 mission will be launched in 2028, as the country aims to establish the foundational structure of an international lunar research station, facilitating lunar environmental exploration and experiments in resource utilization, CMG reported in June this year.

The report said that China's manned lunar landing is scheduled to be achieved by 2030. 

Subsequently, by 2040, the program aims to develop a fully equipped international lunar research station dedicated to exploring the sun-Earth-moon space environment and conducting scientific experiments. 

Beyond that, the construction of an "applied lunar research station" is envisioned, which will serve as a multi-functional lunar base.

Find out more on China's lunar exploration history here.

(CGTN's Peng Yuhan also contributed to the story.)