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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Russia has signed a deal with China to build a nuclear power plant on the moon.
Gee, what could possibly go wrong.
This reminds me of the 70s TV series “Space 1999” where a nuclear blast sent the moon out of orbit with a trajectory into deep space.
The moon is an illuminary you can’t land sheit on it. The power’s that be must think most of the populace is really stupid to keep pushing articles based on fantasy on a regular bases.
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,… Read more »
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.