Roscosmos stated that Moscow intends to build a lunar power station by 2036 and has signed a relevant contract with Russia’s state-owned aerospace and aeronautical engineering enterprise Lavochkin Association. (AFP)

Russia plans to deploy a nuclear power plant on the Moon within the next decade to supply electricity for its lunar space program and the Russia-China joint research station.

According to Reuters, since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter space in 1961, Russia has prided itself as a space power. However, in recent decades, Russia has gradually fallen behind the United States in the aerospace sector and is increasingly being caught up by China.

Russia’s space ambitions suffered a major setback in August 2023 when the uncrewed lunar probe "Luna-25" crashed into the lunar surface and was lost during an attempted landing. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s innovations in spacecraft launch methods have completely transformed the competitive landscape, eroding Russia’s advantages.

Roscosmos (the Russian space agency) announced that Moscow plans to complete the construction of a lunar power station by 2036 and has signed a related contract with Lavochkin Association, a Russian state-owned aerospace and aeronautical engineering enterprise.

Roscosmos indicated that the power station will provide energy for Russia’s lunar programs, including lunar rovers, astronomical observation facilities, and the infrastructure of the Russia-China joint "International Lunar Research Station".

Roscosmos emphasized that this project is an important step toward establishing a long-term operational lunar scientific base and shifting from one-off missions to a long-term lunar exploration program.

Although the statement did not explicitly specify whether the power station is a nuclear plant, it mentioned that project participants include Rosatom (Russia’s state atomic energy corporation) and the Kurchatov Institute (Russia’s major nuclear research institution), leading to the strong inference that it is highly likely a nuclear power plant.

Roscosmos stated that Moscow intends to build a lunar power station by 2036 and has signed a relevant contract with Russia’s state-owned aerospace and aeronautical engineering enterprise Lavochkin Association. (AFP)

Russia plans to deploy a nuclear power plant on the Moon within the next decade to supply electricity for its lunar space program and the Russia-China joint research station.

According to Reuters, since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter space in 1961, Russia has prided itself as a space power. However, in recent decades, Russia has gradually fallen behind the United States in the aerospace sector and is increasingly being caught up by China.

Russia’s space ambitions suffered a major setback in August 2023 when the uncrewed lunar probe "Luna-25" crashed into the lunar surface and was lost during an attempted landing. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s innovations in spacecraft launch methods have completely transformed the competitive landscape, eroding Russia’s advantages.

Roscosmos (the Russian space agency) announced that Moscow plans to complete the construction of a lunar power station by 2036 and has signed a related contract with Lavochkin Association, a Russian state-owned aerospace and aeronautical engineering enterprise.

Roscosmos indicated that the power station will provide energy for Russia’s lunar programs, including lunar rovers, astronomical observation facilities, and the infrastructure of the Russia-China joint "International Lunar Research Station".

Roscosmos emphasized that this project is an important step toward establishing a long-term operational lunar scientific base and shifting from one-off missions to a long-term lunar exploration program.

Although the statement did not explicitly specify whether the power station is a nuclear plant, it mentioned that project participants include Rosatom (Russia’s state atomic energy corporation) and the Kurchatov Institute (Russia’s major nuclear research institution), leading to the strong inference that it is highly likely a nuclear power plant.