China’s International Lunar Research Station: What is It and Why is It Important?

Introduction

A new chapter in lunar exploration is being written, one that moves beyond fleeting visits to establish a lasting foothold on the Moon. At the forefront of this effort is the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a project initiated by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Conceived as a comprehensive scientific base, the ILRS represents a significant undertaking in space exploration, designed to be constructed on the lunar surface and in lunar orbit. It’s planned as a facility for multi-disciplinary and multi-objective scientific research, including exploration, lunar-based observation, and technology verification.

From its inception, the project has been framed as an open platform for international cooperation. Chinese officials have consistently stated that the ILRS is available to all interested countries and partners, reflecting a shift in the dynamics of space exploration. The era of solitary national missions is evolving toward one of long-term construction and multi-party collaboration. This change in approach signifies a different philosophy of lunar exploration. The ILRS is not designed for a short-term stay but as the foundation for a sustainable, long-term robotic and human presence on the Moon. It’s an expandable and maintainable system intended to operate for decades, marking a transition from exploration to the early stages of settlement.

The Vision for a Lunar Habitation

The core concept of the International Lunar Research Station is that of a complex, integrated research facility with components spread across three distinct domains: the lunar surface, lunar orbit, and a support segment on Earth. This distributed architecture underpins a sophisticated operational plan. The station is designed for long-term autonomous operation, with periods of short-term human participation. This “human-optional” design philosophy is a pragmatic approach to the challenges of deep-space habitation.

Placing the primary emphasis on robotics and automation allows the project to manage the immense cost, complexity, and risk associated with long-duration human spaceflight. A station that can build and maintain itself robotically can make continuous progress without being entirely dependent on the readiness of human-rated transportation and life-support systems. This strategy effectively de-risks the entire program. Construction and scientific research can proceed on a steady timeline, with human crews arriving for targeted, short-term missions once the core infrastructure is already in place and functioning. These human visits would be more efficient and scientifically productive, as astronauts would arrive at an established worksite rather than having to build it from scratch.

The ILRS is envisioned as an expandable and maintainable outpost. It will begin as a basic model and evolve over time into a more comprehensive, multifunctional base. The long-term vision for the station extends beyond the Moon itself. The facility is intended to serve as a crucial proving ground, developing and validating the technologies and operational experience necessary to support future human expeditions to Mars. In this sense, the Moon is not the final destination but a critical stepping stone into the wider solar system.

A Phased Approach to Lunar Settlement

The development of the ILRS is structured as a methodical, multi-decade endeavor, broken down into distinct phases that build upon one another. This long-term roadmap illustrates a strategy of establishing a fully functional, autonomous infrastructure before humans are expected to participate extensively.

The first phase, Reconnaissance (2021–2025), is dedicated to preparatory work. Its main objectives are to survey and select a suitable site for the station, conduct detailed environmental analysis, and verify the technologies required for secure, high-precision soft landings in the challenging lunar terrain. This phase leverages several robotic missions, including China’s successful Chang’e-4 and Chang’e-6, the upcoming Chang’e-7, and contributions from Russia’s Luna program.

The second phase, Construction (2026–2035), marks the beginning of building the station itself. This phase is divided into two stages. Stage 1 (2026–2030) will focus on technology verification for the station’s command center, further sample return missions, and demonstrating the capability to deliver massive cargo to the lunar surface. Key missions for this stage include China’s Chang’e-8 and Russia’s Luna-28. Stage 2 (2031–2035) involves the comprehensive establishment of the station’s core facilities. A series of dedicated missions, designated ILRS-1 through ILRS-5, are planned to deliver and assemble the energy, communication, transportation, and research infrastructure. The goal is to complete a “basic model” of the ILRS by 2035.

The third phase, Utilization (from 2036 onward), begins once the basic station is operational. During this phase, the ILRS will be used for sustained scientific research, technology experiments, and to support short-term human landings. The infrastructure built in the preceding decade will allow visiting astronauts to conduct their work at a fully equipped outpost.

Beyond this initial roadmap, an even more ambitious Extended Plan is envisioned to be realized by approximately 2050. This plan would expand the ILRS into a comprehensive lunar network. The south pole station would serve as the primary base, a station in lunar orbit would act as a central hub, and additional research nodes would be established at the lunar equator and on the far side of the Moon. This “build-then-inhabit” strategy ensures that when human crews arrive for their missions, they step into a pre-established, functional worksite, maximizing the safety, efficiency, and scientific return of their time on the Moon.

The Chang’e Program: Paving the Way

The ILRS did not emerge from a vacuum. It is the logical culmination of China’s highly successful and methodical lunar exploration program, known as the Chang’e program. Each mission in this series has served as a technology demonstrator, systematically building the experience and capabilities necessary for the more ambitious ILRS project. The program has followed a clear, three-step progression of orbiting, landing, and returning samples from the Moon.

This step-by-step process can be viewed as a de-risking and capability-building exercise for the ILRS. Each mission has been designed to master a specific technology or operational challenge essential for the future station. For instance, the ILRS requires the ability to land precisely in difficult terrain. The Chang’e-4 mission achieved the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the Moon in 2018, providing invaluable experience in this area.

The ILRS will depend on complex robotic operations, such as collecting and transferring materials. The Chang’e-5 mission in 2020 demonstrated this capability by completing the first lunar sample return in over four decades, executing an autonomous rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit. The Chang’e-6 mission in 2024 pushed this boundary further by conducting the first-ever sample return from the far side’s South Pole-Aitken basin, a region of great scientific interest. This mission also showcased international collaboration by carrying payloads like Pakistan’s ICUBE-Q orbiter.

Looking ahead, the program continues to lay the groundwork. The sustainability of the ILRS depends on locating and using local resources. The Chang’e-7 mission, planned for around 2026, is a dedicated reconnaissance mission to survey the lunar south pole for resources, with a particular focus on identifying water ice deposits. It will also test a novel “hopping” spacecraft for regional mobility. Following that, the Chang’e-8 mission, slated for around 2028, is a direct precursor to the ILRS. Its primary task is to test and verify key in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technologies. This includes experiments in 3D-printing structures using lunar soil and operating a small, sealed ecosystem to test life-support concepts. The Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 missions are considered so fundamental that their hardware will become integral parts of the initial ILRS basic model. Through this incremental approach, China is systematically proving every core competency needed before committing to the full-scale construction of the station.

Strategic Location: The Lunar South Pole

The decision to build the primary ILRS base in the lunar south pole region is a strategic one, driven by the unique and highly advantageous environmental conditions found there. This location offers solutions to the two most fundamental challenges of long-term survival on the Moon: the need for continuous energy and the need for accessible resources.

The key to the south pole’s appeal lies in its extreme and contrasting topography. The region is home to deep, ancient craters whose floors are in a state of permanent shadow. Because the Sun’s angle is always low on the horizon at the poles, sunlight never reaches these crater bottoms. These “permanently shadowed regions” (PSRs) are incredibly cold, acting as natural “cold traps” that have captured and preserved volatile compounds for potentially billions of years. Scientists believe these PSRs contain significant deposits of water ice. This ice is a resource of immense value. It could be harvested to provide drinking water and breathable oxygen for astronauts, and it can be broken down into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen to produce rocket propellant.

In stark contrast to these dark, frozen craters, the south pole also features elevated areas, such as the rims of these same craters, that are in a state of near-constant sunlight. Dubbed “peaks of eternal light,” these locations provide an almost uninterrupted source of solar energy. A base situated on one of these peaks could generate a steady and reliable supply of power, which is essential for long-term operations. This constant illumination also results in more moderate and stable surface temperatures, avoiding the extreme swings between heat and cold experienced in the Moon’s equatorial regions.

It is the close proximity of these two opposing but complementary features—darkness and light, ice and energy—that makes the lunar south pole the most logical location for a sustainable outpost. A base can be established on an illuminated rim to solve the energy problem, while robotic or human missions can make short trips into a nearby dark crater to harvest water ice, solving the resource problem. This co-location dramatically simplifies the logistics of creating a self-sufficient settlement, making the south pole a uniquely strategic piece of real estate on the Moon. The ice in these craters also represents a scientific treasure, a fossil record of the early Solar System that could hold clues to the origin of water on Earth.

Architecture of a Moon Base

The technical blueprint for the ILRS is that of a sophisticated, multi-part system designed for resilience, scalability, and broad scientific reach. The architecture is best understood by examining its key components: transportation, core infrastructure, and scientific facilities.

Cislunar and Surface Transportation

A robust transportation network is the backbone of the ILRS, connecting Earth, lunar orbit, and the lunar surface. The architecture includes a dedicated Earth-Moon Transportation Facility, which will rely on a new generation of heavy-lift launch vehicles, such as the planned Long March-9 rocket, capable of delivering up to 50 tons of payload to lunar orbit. This system will also include orbiters, landers, ascent vehicles for returning from the surface, and capsules for bringing samples and eventually humans back to Earth.

Once at the Moon, the Lunar Transportation and Operation Facility will provide mobility. This includes a fleet of vehicles tailored for different tasks and ranges. Unmanned long-range rovers will be used for extensive exploration, while both pressurized and unpressurized rovers will support human extravehicular activities. A key innovation in the plan is the inclusion of “hoppers” or “leapers,” small vehicles capable of short, rocket-powered flights to traverse difficult terrain or move between different sites quickly. This entire system will operate within cislunar space—the region of space dominated by the Earth-Moon gravitational system. Stable locations within this region, known as Lagrange points, will be used to position assets like communication satellites, and an orbiting station will serve as a staging post and logistics hub.

Core Infrastructure

To support long-term operations, the ILRS will be equipped with extensive core infrastructure. A reliable energy system is paramount. To overcome the challenges of shadow and the long lunar night, the station will use a diversified power strategy, combining solar arrays with radioisotope and nuclear power generators to ensure a continuous and robust energy supply.

A multi-layered communication and navigation network will connect all elements of the station. The Queqiao constellation of relay satellites will provide the vital communication link between the lunar surface, the orbiting station, and mission control on Earth, ensuring coverage even on the far side of the Moon. This will be supplemented by a high-speed surface communication network. A dedicated lunar navigation system is also planned, which plans to provide positioning accuracy at the meter or even centimeter level, enabling precise operations and landings.

All of these systems will be managed by a centralized command center located on the lunar surface. This on-site control will be supported by a Ground Support and Application Facility on Earth, which will handle data processing, long-term mission planning, and scientific analysis.

Scientific and Support Facilities

The heart of the ILRS will be its Lunar Scientific Facility and Long-term Support Facility. These surface modules will include habitats for short-term human crews, dedicated laboratories for research, and facilities to test and verify ISRU technologies, such as the equipment needed for 3D printing with lunar regolith. Biomedical experiments will also be a key area of research.

The station will host a wide array of scientific instruments tailored to its research objectives. These will include powerful telescopes for lunar-based astronomy, instruments for geological profiling and subsurface sounding, and a suite of detectors for monitoring the space radiation environment. This architecture—combining an orbiting station, a main surface base, mobile elements, and plans for future expansion—reveals a vision for a distributed, interconnected lunar network rather than a single, static outpost. This system-of-systems approach provides greater resilience, scalability, and scientific reach, creating a truly comprehensive infrastructure for the exploration of the Moon.

Scientific and Exploration Objectives

The ILRS is designed as a platform for a broad and ambitious program of scientific inquiry. The research activities are intended to be multi-disciplinary and multi-purpose, aimed at both making fundamental discoveries about the universe and developing the practical technologies needed for long-term space habitation. The scientific agenda is organized around five primary objectives.

First is the study of lunar geology and evolution. The goal is to build a comprehensive model of the Moon’s interior, a concept described as creating a “transparent moon.” This will involve detailed geological surveys, seismic monitoring, and the analysis of samples collected from various locations, including deep within the South Pole-Aitken basin, to understand the Moon’s origin and history.

Second, the ILRS will serve as a premier platform for lunar-based astronomy and observation. The Moon’s stable surface and lack of atmosphere make it an ideal location for telescopes. From the ILRS, scientists will search for habitable exoplanets, study the formation of stars, and peer back in time to observe the faint light from the universe’s “Dark Ages,” a period before the first stars ignited.

Third, the station will conduct Sun-Earth-Moon space environment observation. It will provide a unique vantage point for studying the complex and dynamic interplay of solar wind, radiation, and magnetic fields in the cislunar environment, which is crucial for ensuring the safety of future human missions.

Fourth, the ILRS will enable lunar-based fundamental science experiments. This includes research in physics and biology that is not possible on Earth. For example, scientists plan to conduct experiments to study how plants grow and develop in the Moon’s low-gravity and high-radiation environment, providing insights for future life-support systems.

Fifth, a central objective is in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). This involves developing and perfecting the technologies needed to “live off the land.” The station will be a testbed for extracting and using lunar resources, including minerals, solar energy, and, most importantly, the water ice believed to be at the poles. This applied research is strategically balanced with the pure science goals. The quest for fundamental knowledge provides the justification for the mission, while the development of practical technologies makes the long-term presence required for that science feasible. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle of exploration and settlement.

A Global Collaboration

The International Lunar Research Station is, by its very name and design, a global endeavor. China has structured the project as an open platform, inviting participation from all interested nations and international organizations based on principles of equality, mutual benefit, and shared development. This collaborative approach serves both to pool the immense resources required for such a project and to build a broad coalition for the future of lunar exploration.

As of late 2024, the coalition of partners has been steadily growing. It includes nations from across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, as well as several international organizations. This diverse group reflects a deliberate diplomatic effort, particularly with nations in the Global South, to make space exploration more inclusive. The partnership model is flexible, allowing participants to contribute at various levels, according to their capabilities and interests. A partner could contribute an entire system, such as a rover or an energy module; provide a specific scientific instrument to be flown on a mission; or collaborate on the analysis of scientific data.

A concrete example of this collaboration is the contribution from Pakistan’s space agency, SUPARCO, which is developing a 30-kilogram rover for the Chang’e-8 mission. This rover will conduct terrain mapping and analyze the lunar soil, contributing directly to the scientific and resource-prospecting goals of the ILRS.

This effort to build a global coalition positions the ILRS as a significant platform for science diplomacy. It provides emerging space nations with an opportunity to participate in a frontier project, fostering technological development and scientific exchange. By creating a major international project with its own set of partners and guiding principles, the ILRS establishes a framework for lunar exploration that operates alongside other international efforts. In this context, the station is more than just a scientific facility; it’s an instrument of soft power that helps shape the future “rules of the road” for activities on the Moon and solidifies a multi-polar future in space exploration.

Summary

The International Lunar Research Station is a project of remarkable ambition, representing a clear transition in the human approach to space exploration. It signals a move away from short-term missions of discovery toward the establishment of a permanent, sustainable, and scientifically productive presence on the Moon.

The development of the ILRS is not a rush but a deliberate and methodical process. It is built upon the solid foundation of China’s highly successful Chang’e lunar program and is being executed through a phased, multi-decade roadmap. This plan prioritizes the establishment of a robust robotic infrastructure before the significant involvement of human crews, a strategy designed to maximize safety and efficiency.

The choice of the lunar south pole as the primary location is a calculated decision based on the unique and powerful synergy of its environment. The close proximity of near-constant sunlight for power and permanently shadowed craters containing water ice offers a compelling solution to the fundamental challenges of long-term habitation.

The station’s technical architecture is that of a sophisticated and distributed network, combining orbital and surface assets into a scalable system designed for extensive scientific reach and operational resilience. This is all in service of a dual-purpose mission: to conduct groundbreaking fundamental science while simultaneously developing the applied technologies needed for humanity to become a multi-planetary species. Underpinning this entire endeavor is a model of global partnership, positioning the ILRS not only as a scientific outpost but also as a major pillar of international space cooperation for the decades to come.