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Russia’s ambitions suffered a major setback in August 2023 when its unmanned Luna-25 mission crashed while attempting to land on the lunar surface, and Elon Musk has revolutionized space vehicle launches – a field that was once Russia’s specialty.
Russia’s Nuclear Moon Plan
New Delhi: Russia is planning to build a nuclear power plant on the moon in the next decade to power its lunar space program and a joint Russian-Chinese research station.
Since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space in 1961, Russia has considered itself a leading power in space exploration, but in recent decades it has fallen behind the US and, increasingly, China.
Russia recovering from setbacks
Russia's ambitions suffered a major setback in August 2023 when its unmanned Luna-25 mission crashed while attempting to land on the lunar surface, and Elon Musk has revolutionized space vehicle launches – a field that was once Russia's specialty.
Russia's state space corporation, Roscosmos, said in a statement that it plans to build a power plant on the moon by 2036 and has signed a contract with the Lavochkin Association aerospace company for this purpose.
Roscosmos did not explicitly state that the plant would be nuclear, but it said that those involved include the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and Russia's leading nuclear research institute, the Kurchatov Institute.
What is the purpose?
Roscosmos said the plant is intended to power Russia's lunar program, which includes rovers, an observatory, and the infrastructure for the joint Russian-Chinese International Lunar Research Station.
"This project is a significant step towards the creation of a permanently operating scientific lunar station and a shift from one-off missions to a long-term lunar exploration program," Roscosmos said.
What does the US want?
Russia is not the only country with such plans. NASA announced in August that it would install a nuclear reactor on the moon by the first quarter of the 2030 fiscal year.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in August, "We are in a race to the moon, a race with China to the moon, and to build a base on the moon, we need energy."
He added that the U.S. is currently behind in the race to the moon. He said that energy is essential for sustaining life on the moon and eventually enabling humans to reach Mars. International regulations prohibit placing nuclear weapons in space, but there are no restrictions on placing nuclear power sources in space – provided they adhere to certain guidelines.
