Ethiopia targets lunar mission membership

The Minister of State for Innovation and Technology, Yishrun Alemayehu, indicated that Ethiopia is working to be a member in an unmanned spacecraft mission to the moon.

The State Minister, alongside officials from the Space Science and Geospatial Institute of Ethiopia, was engaged in a discussion with Chinese delegation led by Hu Zhaobin, Deputy Director of the China Deep Space Exploration Laboratory.

Both dignitaries deliberated on potential collaboration opportunities in the realms of deep space exploration and lunar research.

Minister of State Yishrun Alemayehu disclosed that his country is looking to collaborate with China’s International Lunar Research Station to engage in deep space research and contribute to the lunar expedition.

The Minister of State sought China’s assistance in fostering human resources development within the realm of space science, emphasizing the mission’s significance for advancing deep space exploration.

He underscored the importance of participating in space exploration to cultivate a scientific community, inspire youth involvement in the field, and harness the resources available on the moon and other celestial bodies.

In response, Hu Zhaobin, Deputy Director of the China Deep Space Research Laboratory, affirmed his country’s readiness to collaborate with Ethiopia in lunar and deep space research endeavors.

South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria are said to be among the African nations identified as participating members of the International Lunar Exploration Program. The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) is a proposed lunar facility currently under the leadership of the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The ILRS will serve as a comprehensive scientific experiment base built on the lunar surface or in lunar orbit that can carry out multi-disciplinary and multi-objective scientific research activities including exploration and utilization, lunar-based observation, basic scientific experiment and technical verification, and long-term autonomous operation.