Visitors view Chang'e-6 mission lunar samples, collected from the far side of the moon, on display at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

　　SHANGHAI, April 24 (Xinhua) -- A total of 17 countries and international organizations, as well as more than 50 international research institutions have joined the China-initiated International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a senior official of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said Wednesday at a conference held in Shanghai.

　　In current international lunar exploration, traditional spacefaring nations continue to carry out missions, emerging space nations are constantly joining in, and commercial spaceflight is flourishing, Bian Zhigang, deputy director of the CNSA, noted at the International Conference on Developers of the ILRS.

　　Lunar exploration activities are evolving from short-term missions to long-term construction, from single-craft exploration to multi-craft collaboration, and from national missions to international cooperation, Bian said. The modes of exploration and cooperation are undergoing fundamental changes, he added.

　　Bian stressed that the ILRS will offer new opportunities and platforms for fostering global intelligence integration, technological innovation, inclusive cooperation, and shared development.

　　Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, said that the ILRS, which is a scientific experimental facility consisting of sections on the lunar surface and in lunar orbit, is projected to be built in two phases: a basic model to be built by 2035 in the lunar south pole region, and an extended model to be built in the 2040s.