Russia and China appear have to joint aspirations of building a nuclear reactor on the moon to power future settlements. According to Yuri Borisov, the CEO of Russia’s equivalent to NASA, Roscosmos, the construction of the reactor would be part of an unmanned mission relying on those technological solutions the two nations intend to master in the latter half of this decade.
“Today, we are seriously considering a project to deliver to the moon and mount a power reactor there jointly with our Chinese partners somewhere between 2033 and 2035,” Borisov said during a talk at the World Youth Festival in Krasnodar Krai, Russia.
The work on the reactor would be automated on account of radiation.
Reuters noted that nuclear power is regarded as necessary because solar panels apparently do not generate enough electricity to power future lunar settlements.
In addition to a nuclear reactor and an “interplanetary station” on the moon, Borisov suggested Russia was also “working on a space tugboat. This huge, cyclopean structure that would be able, thanks to a nuclear reactor and high-power turbines … to transport large cargoes from one orbit to another, collect space debris, and engage in many other applications.”
Russian state media noted that Roscosmos and China National Space Administration signed an agreement in March 2021 to cooperate on the development of an international lunar research station. To advance this project, Beijing plans on sending three missions, Chang’e 6, Chang’e 7, and Chang’e 8.
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