Roscosmos says 16 countries participate in joint lunar station project

16 countries, including Russia and China, and two international organisations are involved in the International Lunar Research Station project, Roscosmos said. Russia is tasked with developing a nuclear power installation to supply the station.

The total includes 14 countries besides Russia and China.

On May 28, 2024, Roscosmos deputy director general Sergei Savelyev had referred to 12 countries in the joint project. Russia and China signed a station-development memorandum in March 2021 and presented their roadmap on June 16 that year. Their intergovernmental agreement envisages five joint missions to place modules in lunar orbit and on the surface.

Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration signed a lunar power-station cooperation memorandum on May 8, 2025. On December 24, 2025, Roscosmos announced a contract with the Lavochkin association to develop the Russian power station by 2036.

The work is intended to cover spacecraft development, ground testing, flight tests and deployment of lunar infrastructure. The station is designed to provide long-term power for Russia's lunar programme and the international station, including foreign partners' facilities.

On January 27, Lavochkin director general Vasily Marfin outlined three launches planned for 2033–2035: an experimental spacecraft in 2033, an infrastructure spacecraft in 2034 and a power module in 2035.