6-3-2024 (MOSCOW) Yuri Borisov, the head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, announced on Tuesday that Russia and China are exploring the possibility of placing a nuclear power plant on the moon between 2033 and 2035. Borisov highlighted that this collaborative effort aims to facilitate the future construction of lunar settlements.
Having jointly worked on a lunar programme, Borisov emphasized Russia’s capability to contribute expertise in “nuclear space energy.” He explained that solar panels would be insufficient to meet the electricity demands of lunar settlements, making nuclear power a viable alternative. The proposed project, if realized, would involve delivering and installing a power unit on the lunar surface in collaboration with China.
Borisov acknowledged the significant challenges of the project, emphasizing that it should be executed in automatic mode without human presence. In addition to the lunar power plant, he shared plans for a Russian nuclear-powered cargo spaceship. While technical aspects of the project have been addressed, the challenge lies in finding a solution for cooling the nuclear reactor.
Describing the envisioned nuclear-powered space tugboat, Borisov outlined its potential applications, including transporting large cargoes between orbits, collecting space debris, and other space-related tasks.
Despite Russia’s previous aspirations for lunar exploration and resource mining, setbacks in its space program have been notable, including the failure of its Luna-25 spacecraft mission last year.
While China aims to deploy the first Chinese astronaut on the moon before 2030, Russia’s ambitions extend to collaborative crewed missions with China and the establishment of a lunar base. Borisov’s announcement aligns with Russia’s broader goals in space exploration, emphasizing the potential utilization of nuclear energy beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
