China reveals plans to 'settle down' on the Moon before 2045 in new video

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) and its partners plan to build a base on the moon's surface that will serve as an international research facility for lunar-based objectives and exploration.

China's space agency has released a new video showcasing its plan to construct a high-tech lunar base that will act as an outpost for all lunar-based research, sample ferrying back to Earth, and exploration out into the lunar desert by astronauts. The project is called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) and was announced by China and Russia in 2021. The project has already attracted international partners such as Venezuela, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, South Africa, Egypt, Thailand and Nicaragua.

The video shows off various missions being carried out such as sample return missionsd, landers and rovers moving about, communications arrays, power sources being constructed and much more. Surprisingly, the video shows off an old NASA Space Shuttle taking off from the surface of the moon, which was retired by the American space agency back in 2011.

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"On April 24, a press conference on China's Shenzhou-18 manned spaceflight mission was held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The mission's three astronauts made their collective debut yesterday. The China National Space Administration also announced the latest progress of the lunar exploration project," writes the China Global Television Network (CGTN)