Russia and China are considering the possibility of placing a nuclear power plant on the moon between 2033 and 2035.
This would enable the construction of a lunar settlement – explains the Russian space agency “Roscosmos” director, Yury Borisov.
Borisov, the former deputy minister of defense, states that the two countries have been working on the development of the lunar program for a long time and that Moscow contributes with its expertise to “nuclear space energy”.
“We are seriously considering the project of delivery and installation of a power plant on the surface of the moon together with Chinese colleagues,” said Borisov.
11 nuclear power plants are currently active in Russia, while 55 nuclear power plants are active in China. Borisov explains that solar panels would not be able to produce enough electricity to power future lunar settlements, while nuclear power could.
Borisov confirms that Russia is also planning to build a nuclear-powered cargo spaceship.
“All technical issues related to the project have been resolved, but we still do not have a solution to the problem of cooling the nuclear power plant,” explains Borisov.
It would be, as he notes, a “cyclops structure”, which, thanks to a nuclear power plant and powerful turbines, would transport large loads from one orbit to another, collect space debris and perform numerous other actions – the agencies report.
