China and Russia will mount a joint effort to explore Mars and one of its moons in 2009, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday following an agreement to boost cooperation between the two ambitious space powers.
China announced on Wednesday it will launch a joint mission with Russia to Mars in 2009, marking "an important milestone" in space cooperation between the two countries. A small Chinese satellite will take off on a Russian rocket, according to the agreement signed Monday between the China National Space Administration and the Russian Federal Space Agency.
"The sides expressed satisfaction with the signing of an agreement on joint space research, as well as research of Mars and its satellite Fobos. Concrete mechanisms for the creation of working groups for the implementation of this project and measures for its intensification have been established" - Igor Panarin, Roskosmos Press Secretary.