Russia will be able to establish its own “sovereign territories” on the Moon as part of the federal project “Space Sciences”. The announcement was made by Sergei Chernishev, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Director of the N. Zhukovsky Central Institute of Aerohydrodynamics, during a meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) dedicated to space exploration, as cited by Moscow Times.
“The lunar program will allow Russia to remain among the main space powers actively exploring the Moon. It will provide new knowledge and technologies for lunar exploration. And, ultimately, it will enable us to establish sovereign territories for Russia on the surface of the Moon,” stated the academician.
The statements were made while the NASA astronauts of the Artemis 2 mission were reaching the Moon, on the longest journey ever undertaken by a human crew.
The lunar program will be implemented in two stages, mentioned Cernîșev. The first stage involves mastering the necessary technologies for lunar landing, as well as conducting research on the Moon’s surface. The second step, according to the academician, is the creation of basic lunar elements and the use of “detachable technology” from the landing sites. According to RAS academician, Anatoli Petrukovich, the budget for the federal lunar project until 2036 is approximately 700 billion rubles (the funding for the entire national “Space” project is 4.4 trillion rubles).
The issue of territorial ownership over the Moon and other celestial bodies is regulated by the Outer Space Treaty, adopted in 1967. It stipulates that “outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means”.