Russia plans nuclear power plant on the moon by 2036
Russia plans to build a nuclear powered facility on the moon within the next decade to support its lunar space programme and a joint Russian Chinese research station. The project is part of Moscow’s push to reassert itself in space as global powers race to establish a long term presence on the lunar surface. State space agency Roscosmos said it has signed a contract with the Lavochkin Association aerospace company to develop a lunar power plant by 2036. Although the statement did not explicitly use the word “nuclear”, the project involves state nuclear company Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute, Russia’s leading nuclear research centre, strongly indicating a nuclear facility. Roscosmos said the plant will supply energy for Russia’s wider lunar programme, including rovers, an observatory and infrastructure for the planned International Lunar Research Station with China. The agency described it […]