Are Russia and China planning to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon?

Russia and China are working on an ambitious project to build a nuclear power plant on the moon’s surface. Yuri Borisov, head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, stated that the two countries plan to install the unit by 2035.

“We are seriously considering a project to deliver to the moon and mount a power reactor there jointly with our Chinese partners somewhere between 2033 and 2035,” he said, according to Tass.

Here’s everything you need to know about it.

Nuclear reactor on the moon

The plant, built by robots, will be part of China and Russia’s plan to build the International Lunar Research Station, a sprawling space base that will begin construction in 2026, according to The Sun.

The lunar base, which is larger than Disneyland, will have a 3.7-mile radius and include a command centre, a power station, a communication hub, scientific facilities, and a fleet of robots — including technical lunar rovers for research, a jumping robot, and several smart mini-rovers designed to explore the surface of Earth’s satellite. It will also have its own satellites for remote sensing, navigation, and communication.

The plan, announced by the two countries in 2021, is widely regarded as a competitor to the US-led Artemis programme.

China, which is hopeful to begin construction on the base within the next few years, with a basic station established using lunar soil by 2028, intends to send three missions, Chang’e 6, Chang’e 7, and Chang’e 8, as part of the project, reports The Sun.

The base is expected to be fully operational by 2050 for lunar research and, potentially, as a launch site for manned missions. According to The Sun, China is also planning to install chilling all-seeing surveillance on the moon to spy on its citizens and protect the lunar base.

First Chinese astronaut on the moon before 2030

But what is the purpose of a nuclear reactor on the moon?

Russia and China hope to sustain future colonisation efforts on the lunar surface, which could pave the way for lunar settlements.

Solar panels would not be able to provide enough electricity to power these future lunar settlements, whereas nuclear power would, according to Roscosmos head Borisov.

“This is a very serious challenge…it should be done in automatic mode, without the presence of humans,” he said of the possible plan.

Borisov spoke also of Russian plans to build a nuclear-powered cargo spaceship. He said all the technical questions concerning the project had been solved apart from finding a solution on how to cool the nuclear reactor.

“We are indeed working on a space tugboat. This huge, cyclopean structure that would be able, thanks to a nuclear reactor and a high-power turbine…to transport large cargoes from one orbit to another, collect space debris and engage in many other applications,” Borisov said.

Russian officials have spoken before of ambitious plans to one day mine on the Moon, but the Russian space programme has suffered a series of setbacks in recent years.

Its first moon mission in 47 years failed last year after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and crashed.

Moscow has said it will launch further lunar missions and then explore the possibility of a joint Russian-China crewed mission and even a lunar base.

China said last month it aimed to put the first Chinese astronaut on the moon before 2030.

Russian president Vladimir Putin last month dismissed a warning by the United States that Moscow planned to put nuclear weapons in space as false, saying it was a ploy to draw Russia into arms negotiations on the West’s terms.

With inputs from Reuters