Russia and China may build nuclear power plants on the moon

On the occasion of the World Youth Festival in Russia, which took place from March 1 to 8, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, announced plans to install a nuclear power plant on the 2033-2035 horizon. “Today, we are seriously considering the delivery and installation of a power plant on the lunar surface with our Chinese colleagues for the period 2033-2035.” He declared. Even if the project sounds crazy, the director of the space agency assured that it was nevertheless very solid: “This is a very serious challenge.”he reiterated.

The project is part of a Sino-Russian agreement signed in March 2021. The Russian agency Roscosmos and China have agreed to build the “International Scientific Lunar Station” (ILS). Roscosmos wants to set up a power station there to supply energy to this future station.

Reliability premium

For the director of the Russian agency, the choice of nuclear power is explained by the inadequacy of photovoltaic panels. Because the Moon is only intermittently illuminated by the Sun, a satellite would not benefit from sufficient exposure to light to provide energy from the Sun. “Solar panels may not provide enough electricity to power future lunar colonies”, explained Yuri Borisov. A nuclear power plant would also allow savings in size and weight.

The Sino-Russian space station project, competing with the American Artemis program planned by NASA, joined South Africa in September 2023. The program includes several lunar landers, a jumping robot and mini-intelligent rovers designed to study the surface. of the Moon, reports the Russian news agency Tas. China will send three missions to the lunar surface, including the Chang’e 6 mission, which is scheduled to launch in May 2024.

Also readRace to the Moon: What if China overtakes the United States?

“Laying the Groundwork for a Long-Term Human Presence on Other Worlds”

In June 2022, NASA, in collaboration with the United States Department of Energy (DOE), launched a similar nuclear power plant project that is still needed. “To be launched by the end of the decade for demonstration on the Moon”, NASA announced on its official website. Fission energy systems will be designed to last “At least 10 years in the lunar atmosphere”American agency clarified. “This development will help us lay the groundwork for a long-term human presence on other worlds,” One of its administrators explained during the launch of the project.

The race for lunar exploration between Russia and the United States, which began during the Cold War, seems to have a new date for the 2030-2035 horizon. By the 1960s, competition was in full swing. On April 12, 1961, the Soviets won the first war, achieving the feat of sending Yuri Gagarin into space. On May 25 of the same year, President Kennedy promised an American astronaut to land on the moon before the end of the decade. Pursuing this objective, the American Apollo 11 mission achieved the feat of sending Neil Armstrong to the Moon for the first time in history on July 21, 1969.

After the collapse of the USSR, the Russian space industry still lacks the financial means to compete with the United States, where new private players have emerged, such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. In late August 2023, after an absence of 47 years, Russia missed a return to the Moon after the crash of its Luna-25 space probe on the surface of Earth’s natural satellite. But in some areas closer to Moscow, China is developing its space projects at a faster pace. By 2021, Beijing surpassed the United States in the total number of space launches.