Russia has signed a deal with China to build a nuclear power plant on the moon.
The Russian reactor will be used to power the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), jointly led by China and Russia, and should be completed by 2036.
The announcement comes just after NASA revealed a 2026 budget proposal that would axe the agency’s plans for an orbital lunar base.
The construction of the Chinese-Russian reactor will likely be carried out autonomously “without the presence of humans,” according to a 2024 interview with Yury Borisov, director general of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, on TASS.
While details of how this can be achieved remain unclear, Borisov added that the technological steps are “almost ready.”
China plans an expanded moon base.
The memorandum comes at a time of growing ambition for China’s space programs. The country has had a lunar presence since the 2013 landing of the Change 3 mission, which placed a rover on the moon. Subsequent missions landed more rovers on the moon and Mars, while collecting samples from the moon’s near and far sides, and mapped out the lunar surface.
As for the US, Artemis III will send astronauts to the moon. It has suffered repeated delays. They hope to launch in 2027.
The US must not give up the control of space. Forming the Space Force was an excellent idea. It’s the future.
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Colonizing any body that requires a space suit and pressurized living ‘hab’ is just a waste of time and money. They can tout unsubstantiated claims all they want, like they will reap trillions in rare fairy dust and mankind can venture off Earth for DEI sake (waste of time and money). The place they ought to concentrate on is EARTH, that is a sure bet!!
Now if they found an Earth-like planet within 5 light years, a planet where humans wouldn’t need space suits or pressurized living structures… then go for it!! Otherwise it is too much engineering for just a handful of people to see and the reap the $$$ rewards…. all while screwing the American taxpayer out of trillion$$$ while 50% of the population are unwilling to work, irresponsible, drug addict, morbidly obese, narcissistic bratty, and all on psyche meds… they belong locked up in padded cells with straight jackets permanently.
What will result if that sucker gets nailed by a meteor? The Moon is covered with impact craters because there is no atmosphere to burn them up.
Mean while, The US is building wind mills on the moon.
LOL! Firstly, they cannot go to the moon, we never did, they never did, has been proven over and over. There is this little problem with “God’s Iron Dome”, which He calls the Firmament.
Secondly, everything China builds falls apart shortly thereafter, this is just a distraction from the domestic uprising in China. They think we are so stupid.
I guess they have to get there first. We were there, even had little EVs, back when they were still knapping flint.