In Beijing, Pakistan has joined China in an ambitious project to establish a research station on the moon’s southern pole. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, along with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, witnessed the signing of an initial cooperation agreement on Wednesday.

The China National Space Administration has announced that the collaboration will encompass various aspects of the Chinese lunar base program, including engineering and operations.

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China, with aspirations to become a prominent space player by 2030, has already gained support from Russia, Venezuela, and South Africa. They have set a goal to land astronauts on the moon by the end of this decade.

The timetable for creating a base on the moon’s southern pole aligns with NASA’s ambitious Artemis program, which aims to return US astronauts to the lunar surface by December 2025, assuming no delays.