The idea is being developed with China and would serve to supply future lunar bases, says the head of the Russian space agency. The USA is also evaluating designs for a nuclear power plant on the satellite. Moscow wants to bring its experience in the field of “space nuclear energy” into a joint lunar program with Beijing, which envisages the construction of a nuclear power plant on the moon, said the head of the Roscosmos agency, Russian space scientist Yuri Borissov, this Tuesday (05.03.).
Lunar exploration projects have become a priority again for several countries in recent years
Photo: DW / Deutsche Welle
Borisov explained that solar energy harvesting panels would not be enough to ensure reliable power supply to the lunar bases. Since lunar nights last 14 Earth days, the exclusive use of solar energy poses risks for both manned and unmanned lunar missions.
“We are seriously considering a project to supply and install a power plant on the lunar surface sometime between 2033 and 2035 together with our Chinese colleagues,” Borisov said at a youth event.
Some observers in the US have speculated that Russia is planning to use a new type of nuclear weapon against satellites. But the head of Roscosmos, who took command of the body in 2022, insisted that Russia had no plans to use nuclear weapons in space.
A nuclear power plant on the moon would have to be built by machines, Borisov added, saying there were already viable technical solutions for the project.
Space cooperation between Russia and China
In March 2021, Moscow and Beijing signed an agreement to build an international lunar station and presented a roadmap for it three months later.
China has its own lunar exploration program and the unmanned Chang'e6 probe is expected to launch in May to collect rock samples.
The Russian space program has suffered setbacks. Its first lunar mission in 47 years failed last year after Russia's Luna25 spacecraft spiraled out of control and crashed.
The USA is also examining the plan
The proposal to use nuclear reactors to power future lunar colonies is also being examined by the American space agency NASA.
Just months after the Apollo 11 mission put humans on the moon in 1969, Apollo 12 astronauts used a nuclear generator to provide power for scientific experiments on the satellite's surface.
The issue of power in space is becoming increasingly important as NASA moves forward with its plan to put humans on the moon as part of its Artemis mission. The first landing is planned for 2026.
In 2022, NASA announced that it was working with the U.S. Department of Energy to select “conceptual proposals” for a nuclear energy system “that could be operational by the end of the decade.”
bl/cn (dpa, Portal, Interfax)
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