China is seeking collaboration with 50 countries for its International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program, aiming to build a lunar base at the south pole.

Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, announced that China is open to international partners from both emerging and established nations.

This initiative follows NASA’s recent cancellation of its VIPER lunar rover mission, which was intended to search for ice at the moon’s south pole.

China plans to establish a basic ILRS by 2035 and an extended version by 2045, Space News has reported.

The country has already signed agreements with over 10 countries and nearly 30 international research institutions, with hopes to involve 500 foreign institutions and 5,000 researchers in the project.

Current partners include Venezuela, Belarus, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Egypt, Nicaragua, Thailand, Serbia, and Kazakhstan.

Written by B.C. Begley