While it might sound like something out of a science fiction movie, plans to build a nuclear power plant on the moon have been confirmed.
China announced its plans
China has made plans to build a nuclear plant on the moon as a way to support a permanent research station it’s planning to build with Russia.
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Scientists presented the detailed plans for the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) to foreign governments and international organizations in Shanghai.
The base is due by 2035
The joint base between China and Russia, which would be staffed with permanent workers, is due to be built by 2035.
China is also aiming to land astronauts on the moon in the next five years as part of the plan.
The astronauts are planned to land in 2028
China has the Chang’e-8 mission planned for 2028 where astronauts would lay the groundwork for constructing the permanent lunar base.
These China-Russia plans are in competition with the US’ plans to have astronauts based on the moon. This would also be to potentially power research and missions by lunar nuclear energy.
The chief engineer explained the mission in detail
Chief Engineer Pei Zhaoyu explained the 2028 mission in detail, sharing that the lunar base’s energy supply could end up depending on large scale solar arrays.
It could also need pipelines and cables for heating, which would mean building electricity on the moon.
The Chinese plans are backed up by Russia
This 2028 Chinese mission to have a nuclear plant on the moon is backed up by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
This was shared last year when Roscosmos confirmed its plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2035 with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) set to power it.
Chief designer for the exploration program mentioned the US
Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program told Reuters, “An important question for the ILRS is power supply, and in this Russia has a natural advantage, when it comes to nuclear power plants, especially sending them into space, it leads the world, it is ahead of the United States.”
Russia is working on a cargo space ship
Former head of Roscosmos, Yury Borisov, said in 2024 that the Russian space agency is working on a nuclear-powered cargo space ship that they’ve described as a ‘sugar tugboat’.
With Beijing’s Russian partners working on this, it seems the two countries have great plans brewing for the moon.
Borisov explained the structure
Borisov said, “This huge, cyclopean structure would be able, thanks to a nuclear reactor and high-power turbines, to transport large cargos from one orbit to another, collect space debris and engage in many other applications.”
China and Russia working on a manned permanent nuclear power plant on the moon? Sounds crazy but, we’ve apparently only got 10 years till we see it happen.