Russia Plans Nuclear Power Plant on the Moon Within a Decade

Reuters

he words 'Russian Moon Mission', Moon and a Russian flag are seen in this illustration, 21 August 2023.

Russia plans to construct a nuclear power plant on the Moon within the next decade to support its lunar space programme and a joint Russian-Chinese research station, as major powers intensify efforts to explore Earth’s only natural satellite.

Since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space in 1961, Russia has regarded itself as a leading force in space exploration. However, in recent decades it has fallen behind the United States and, increasingly, China.

Russia’s ambitions suffered a significant setback in August 2023 when its unmanned Luna-25 mission crashed into the lunar surface during a landing attempt. At the same time, Elon Musk’s innovations have transformed the launch industry, an area once dominated by Russia.

In a statement, Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos said it plans to build a lunar power plant by 2036 and has signed a contract with the Lavochkin Association, an aerospace company, to carry out the project.

According to Roscosmos, the facility will supply power for Russia’s lunar programme, including robotic rovers, a scientific observatory, and infrastructure for the joint Russian-Chinese International Lunar Research Station.

“The project is an important step towards the creation of a permanently functioning scientific lunar station and the transition from one-off missions to a long-term lunar exploration programme,” Roscosmos said.

While the agency did not explicitly confirm that the power plant would be nuclear, it noted that project participants include Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, and the Kurchatov Institute, the country’s leading nuclear research body.

Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov said in June that one of the corporation’s key objectives was to deploy a nuclear power plant on the Moon, alongside ambitions to explore Venus, often referred to as Earth’s “sister planet”.

The Moon, located approximately 384,400 kilometres from Earth, plays a crucial role in stabilising the planet’s axial tilt, contributing to a relatively stable climate, and is responsible for ocean tides worldwide.

Source: Reuters



PUKMEDIA