Russian Space Agency Roscosmos is considering the construction of a permanent base on the moon, according to a report.
The agency is in talks with the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA to turn this dream into reality.
“We don’t want the man to just step on the moon,” said Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin. “We are now discussing how to begin [the moon’s] exploration with NASA and the European Space Agency,” said Popovkin, giving two possible options to create a permanent outpost on the moon: “either to set up a base on the moon or to launch a station to orbit around it.”
Popovkin also mentioned the agency is currently developing a “prospective manned transportation system” to be sent to the moon.
In NASA’s recent detailed space exploration roadmap (or starmap, if you will), a human mission to the moon is planned for the 2020s. A permanent base on the moon is still a distant future, as many other technologies must be enabled prior to such a mission.
Russia also plans two unmanned missions to the moon by 2020, Popovkin said.
Unfortunately, Russian space exploration efforts have suffered several setbacks in recent years. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Roscosmos sorely lacked funds for interplanetary missions. Most recently, a Russian space probe that was slated to visit the Martian moon Phobos crashed into the Pacific Ocean
Image credit: NASA
[via Ria Novosti]
Source: Mashable » Tech