China, South Africa sign agreements on International Lunar Research Station programme

Space agencies of China and South Africa signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation at the International Lunar Research Station on September 1, marking South Africa's formal participation in the programme.

The two sides will conduct extensive collaboration in the demonstration, engineering implementation, operation and application, education, and training of the station, according to Global Times.

The memorandum of understanding was signed on September 1 by the Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Chen Xiaodong on behalf of the China National Space Administration and Humbulani Mudau, Director General of the South African National Space Agency.

Two agreements on official cooperation were signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to South Africa which started on August 22, the first tie-up of its kind between the nations, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The agreements will bring South Africa onto the team for China and Russia's planned International Lunar Research Station.

China has partnered with Russia on a number of upcoming projects, including the International Lunar Research Station, a planned lunar base consisting of a space station in lunar orbit, a complex on the lunar surface, and a fleet of robots. The two nations said the project is open to all others who would like to join and have signed on a handful of partners.

In addition, under the framework of the BRICS cooperation on remote sensing satellite constellation, space agencies of China and South Africa have carried out cooperation on remote sensing data exchange and application, as well as communications on satellite ground stations.

In the memorandum, the two countries specifically pointed out that on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Africa, South Africa's participation in the International Lunar Research Station programme indicates the extension of China-South Africa cooperation from near-Earth space to the moon and deep space exploration.

The cooperation between the two sides is of great significance to promoting the progress of space science and technology between China and South Africa and helping to build a high-level China-South Africa community of shared future.

The African space economy in 2021 was valued at $19.49 billion and is forecast to grow by some 16 per cent in the next four years, according to media reports. However, as of 2022 only 13 African countries have 48 satellites, six of them built by China and one by the US, with experts saying satellite communication is essential to bridging the connectivity gap on the continent.

In fact, space is an important part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, said Hu Changchun, the head of China's mission to the African Union (AU), adding that space cooperation has become a highlight of China-Africa cooperation in terms of enjoying fruitful results of satellite launches, space infrastructure, as well as sharing of satellite resources.