South China Morning Post announced that Ethiopia’s Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI) and the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) to join the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), bringing the total to more than a dozen participating organisations globally.
China’s Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL, Tiandu Laboratory) representatives signed these MOUs with SSGI and KAIST. The ILRS initiative aims to establish a permanent base on the moon by the mid-2030s and has attracted participation from various countries and institutions globally.
On April 5th, Hu Zhaobin, the deputy director of China’s Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, signed an MoU with SSGI director Abdissa Yilma at the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, as DSEL’s official WeChat account reported. During their meeting, Yilma expressed the institute’s commitment to actively participating in and promoting the construction of the ILRS. Meanwhile, Hu hoped the project would contribute to developing Ethiopia’s aerospace sector and space exploration technologies.
Then, on April 8th, Mr Zhaobin signed a cooperation memorandum with KAIST acting principal Jennifer W. Khamasi during his visit to the Konza Techno City south of Nairobi. During the meeting, KAIST council chairman Emmanuel Mutisya stated that the institute would seize the research and education opportunities from collaboration with the ILRS. He also assured Hu that KAIST would work towards persuading the Kenyan government to join the project.
Hu invited Yilma and Mutisya to China’s International Conference on Deep Space Exploration, known as the Tiandu Forum, in September 2024. These partnerships were established during the DSEL’s participation in the 2024 NewSpace Africa Conference in Angola, held between April 2nd and 5th. Hu’s keynote address at the conference marked the first public call for African nations and organisations to join the ILRS initiative.
Currently, the ILRS has nine country members: China, Russia, Venezuela, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, South Africa, Egypt, and Thailand. It also includes several members from research institutes, universities, or companies.
Source: https://africanews.space/ssgi-and-kaist-join-china-led-moon-project-ilrs/
