13 July 2020
On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the creation of the state-owned corporation Roscosmos on 13 July, Alexander Milkus of Komsomolskaya Pravda spoke with Dmitry Rogozin, about the future of Russian space activities. He also discussed with Rogozin the options for international or bilateral cooperation regarding lunar exploration. Rogozin told the journalist that he had a teleconference with the Head of CNSA Zhang Kejian in the morning of the very same day of the interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda. Rogozin and Zhang agreed to begin the first steps in the definition of the future lunar base, which will hopefully become an international project. Rogozin stressed that China has achieved a lot over the last years and that has earned his respect. China is a "worthy partner". Russia is about to restart its once so successful lunar exploration missions. The planned series of Luna probe mission and the next generation heavy-lift rocket could support an international lunar research base in the Moon's South Pole region. Currently, China and Russia share information about their respective lunar plans and try to find synergies in their efforts. "Therefore, China, yes, is certainly our partner.", Rogozin stressed.
Link to the interview in Russian in the Komsomolskaya Pravda
short summary be Eric Berger for Arstechnica: Russian space chief questions NASA plans, praises partnership with China