Space Research Institute RAS
Russian planetary science institute; built the LILEM instrument flying on China's Chang'e 7.
Last refreshed: 17 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How did Russia secure a science presence at the Moon's south pole before NASA gets there?
Timeline for Space Research Institute RAS
Supplied LILEM instrument for Chang'e 7 mission
Artemis II Moon Mission: Chang'e 7 lands Russian payload at Shackleton- What is Russia's role in the Chang'e 7 mission?
- Russia's Space Research Institute (IKI RAS) supplied the LILEM instrument, which measures lunar dust and electric fields, for China's Chang'e 7 mission targeting the Lunar South Pole.Source: briefing
- Why is Russia working with China on the Moon?
- After 2022, Russia lost access to NASA and ESA partnerships. Cooperation with China on Chang'e 7 keeps Russian space science active internationally.Source: briefing
- What does IKI RAS do?
- IKI RAS is Russia's principal space science institute, developing planetary instruments. It built LILEM for Chang'e 7 to study lunar dust and electric fields at Shackleton crater.Source: briefing
Background
The Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI RAS) contributed the LILEM (Lunar Dust and Electric Field Instrument) payload to China's Chang'e 7 mission, confirmed for H2 2026 launch. LILEM will operate at the rim of Shackleton crater, the same lunar south-pole landing zone targeted by NASA's Artemis programme, giving Russia a science-cooperation foothold at the site 18 to 24 months before any American crewed arrival.
IKI RAS is the principal Russian institution for space science, planetary exploration, and astrophysics research. Founded in 1965, it developed instruments for Soviet Mars and Venus missions and has remained a significant contributor to international space science despite the geopolitical isolation that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russia's direct partnership with NASA and ESA collapsed after 2022. The LILEM collaboration with China represents a pivot to Sino-Russian space science cooperation and gives Roscosmos adjacent programmes a presence at a strategically significant lunar site. Western agencies currently have no equivalent instrument at Shackleton rim ahead of the crewed Artemis landing.
