Pakistan has joined China's ambitious project to build a research station on the moon's south pole, expanding China's list of partners in this endeavor. The initial cooperation agreement was signed in Beijing on Wednesday, witnessed by Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. The China National Space Administration has stated that the cooperation will cover various aspects of the lunar base program, including engineering and operations. China, aiming to become a major space power by 2030, has already secured cooperation from countries like Russia, Venezuela, and South Africa.

With a goal to land its astronauts on the moon by the end of the decade, China's timeline to build an outpost on the moon's south pole aligns with NASA's Artemis program. NASA intends to put US astronauts back on the lunar surface in December 2025, barring any delays. It is worth noting that this recent development comes after India successfully reached the unexplored moon's south pole in August, making it the fourth country to land on the moon and the first to do so near the south pole. Both the US and India also have plans to send astronauts to the moon, with the US aiming for 2025 and India targeting 2040. The last time a human set foot on the moon was during the US Apollo program in 1972.