Russia plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon within the next 10 years, as global superpowers step up efforts to explore Earth’s only natural satellite. In a statement, Russia’s state space corporation, Roscosmos, unveiled plans to build the lunar power plant by 2036.
Since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space in 1961, Russia has taken pride in being a major force in space exploration. However, over recent decades, it has appeared to have lost ground to the United States and increasingly to China.
Notably, Russia’s goals faced a major setback in August 2023 when its unmanned Luna-25 mission crashed into the Moon's surface while attempting to land.
Why Russia wants to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon
Moscow is planning to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon by 2036 to support its lunar space programme and a joint Russian-Chinese research station, Reuters said in a report.
Roscosmos said in a statement that it has signed an agreement with the Lavochkin Association to develop the lunar power facility.
Although the corporation did not mention that the plant would be nuclear, it announced that participants in the programme would include the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute.
According to Roscosmos, the facility would supply power to Russia’s lunar missions, including rovers, an observatory, and infrastructure for the joint Russian-Chinese International Lunar Research Station.
It said in a statement, “The project is an important step towards the creation of a permanently functioning scientific lunar station and the transition from one-time missions to a long-term lunar exploration programme.”
Earlier in June, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov said one of the agency’s goals was to set up a nuclear power plant on the Moon and to study Venus, often called Earth’s “sister” planet.
Notably, the Moon lies about 384,400 km, or 238,855 miles, from Earth. It helps steady Earth’s movement on its axis, leading to a more stable climate, and is also responsible for ocean tides worldwide.
Is Russia the only one planning a lunar power plant?
No, Russia is not the only country working on plans for a nuclear power plant on the Moon.
In August, the US space agency NASA announced plans to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon by the first quarter of the fiscal year 2030.
US transport secretary Sean Duffy said at the time, “We're in a race to the moon, in a race with China to the moon. And to have a base on the moon, we need energy.”
He added that the United States was currently behind in the race to the Moon. He said energy is necessary to sustain life on the Moon and, from there, to enable humans to travel to Mars.
Notably, international regulations prohibit placing nuclear weapons in space. However, there is no ban on using nuclear energy sources in space, provided they follow specific rules.
Some space experts have spoken of a possible gold rush on the Moon. NASA has estimated that there could be up to a million tonnes of Helium-3, a helium isotope that is rare on Earth.
Rare earth metals used in smartphones, computers and advanced technology are also found on the Moon. Research by Boeing said these include scandium, yttrium and the 15 lanthanides.
With inputs from agencies