Egypt joins China’s ILRS moon base initiative

Egypt and China signed a series of space agreements Wednesday including cooperation on the China-led International Lunar Research Station.

Zhang Kejian, China National Space Administration (CNSA) administrator, and Sherif Sedky, Chief Operating Officer of the Egyptian Space Agency (EGSA), signed a cooperation agreement between the CNSA and the EGSA on the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in Beijing, Dec. 6. 

The pair also inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between their respective governments on  cooperation and peaceful use of outer space, according to a CNSA statement. 

Areas of cooperation include joint research in lunar and deep space exploration, the development and launch of spacecraft, space infrastructure, satellite data reception and applications, the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation, space science and astronomical observation.

The development follows increasingly close space cooperation between the two countries. China began establishing a satellite assembly, integration and test center for Egypt in Cairo in 2019. The AIT center opened in June this year.