2 major space institutes in Africa join China-led moon project

Ethiopia’s Space Science and Geospatial Institute and the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have joined the ILRS
The China-led project aims to build a permanent base on the moon by the mid-2030s and is seen as a rival to the US-led Artemis programme

Science

Ling Xinin Ohio

Published: 4:00pm, 20 Apr 2024

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Two more African partners have joined the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) initiative, which aims to build a permanent base on the moon by the mid-2030s.

Ethiopia’s Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI) and the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have this month signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) on ILRS-related cooperation with representatives from China.

Their participation follows more than a dozen agencies, institutes and organisations – including the national space agencies of South Africa and Egypt – to be part of the ambitious plan.

On April 5, Hu Zhaobin, deputy director of China’s Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, signed the MOU with SSGI director Abdissa Yilma in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, according to the lab’s official WeChat account.

During their meeting, Yilma said the institute would actively participate in and promote the construction of the ILRS. Meanwhile, Hu said he hoped the project would help boost the development of Ethiopia’s aerospace sector and space exploration technologies.

Hu Chaobin, deputy director of China’s Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, with KAIST acting principal Jennifer W. Khamasi at the signing of the MOU earlier this month. Photo: X/@AJ_FI

Then on April 8, Hu signed the cooperation memorandum with KAIST acting principal Jennifer W. Khamasi during his visit to the Konza Techno City south of Nairobi.

KAIST council chairman Emmanuel Mutisya, who was also at the meeting, said the institute would take advantage of the research and education opportunities brought about by the collaboration with the ILRS. He also told Hu that KAIST would help push the Kenyan government to join the project.

Hu invited both Yilma and Mutisya to attend the International Conference on Deep Space Exploration, known as the Tiandu Forum, to be held in China in September.

These latest partnerships were formed during the lab’s trip to the NewSpace Africa Conference which was held in Angola in the first week of April.

At the conference, Hu’s keynote address included the first public call for African nations and organisations to join the ILRS initiative.

So far, the ILRS has nine country members: China, Russia, Venezuela, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, South Africa, Egypt and Thailand. Nato country Turkey has also reportedly applied to join. As well as these, it also has a number of members which are research institutes, universities or companies.

The US-led Artemis programme, which is often seen as a rival to the ILRS project, now has a total of 38 countries that have signed on to its Artemis Accords.

The SSGI is formerly the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute, which was established in 2016 as a major move to boost space science and technology activities in the country for sustainable development.

KAIST, currently under construction at the Konza Techno City, is modelled after the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology. It aims to lead pioneering research in science and technology, and nurture highly qualified scientists and engineers for Kenya’s industrialisation and modernisation, according to the institute’s website.