China and Russia announced plans to make a lunar research station, a very ambitious space project between the two countries. China’s National space administration and Russia’s Roscosmos (the equivalent of The United States’ NASA) announced a preliminary agreement to jointly develop the research facility, known as the International Lunar Research Station, or ILRS. Once the station is complete it will be open to other countries for use

According to a statement released by China’s space agency, the station “is a comprehensive scientific experiment base with the capability of long-term autonomous operation.” The station will be “built on the lunar surface and/or on the lunar orbit,” the statement said, and will carry out activities such as “lunar exploration and utilization, lunar-based observation, basic scientific experiment and technical verification.”

The announcement from the Once Cold War Rivals was shocking to many and comes as NASA is working toward a return to the moon, almost 50 years after the last of the Apollo landings finished in 1972. The only confusion is when this will be done. The joint operation has shown no signs of a timeline, which keeps everyone interested in following the situation.