- Russia and China study installing a nuclear power plant on the Moon
- The two nations are collaborating on the International Lunar Research Station.
- China has already proposed a surveillance infrastructure using its Skynet technology.
Russia and China are considering installing a nuclear power plant on the Moon around 2033-35, Yuri Borisov, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, said on Tuesday.
The two countries are collaborating on the International Lunar Research Station, a huge complex on the Moon scheduled to be built in 2026.
The proposed base, which will have a radius of nearly four miles, larger than any Disney theme park, will house scientists who will further study the properties of the moon.
Borisov, former deputy prime minister of Russia, spoke about the plans at the Knowledge.First marathon within the framework of the World Youth Festival.
He revealed more details about the Luna-27 mission, which is launching with the European Space Agency.
The two countries are collaborating on the International Lunar Research Station, a huge complex on the moon whose construction will begin in 2026 (File image)
China wants to use the “successful experience” of China’s authoritarian Skynet surveillance system to protect the planned base against “suspicious targets” (File Image)
China and Russia have already confirmed that they were in talks on “security in outer space”
He said that in the mission two Russian rockets would attempt to reach the north and south poles of the Moon in 2028.
The news comes after China and Russia confirmed they had been in talks on “outer space security” and “artificial intelligence weapons.”
The officials met in February to discuss “doctrinal guidelines and initiatives from Russia and China.”
Nations agree to greater cooperation under Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) of States Parties to the Inhumane Weapons Convention on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), a UN-endorsed policy on weapons development.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said at the time: “The meeting confirmed the closeness of the Russian and Chinese approaches to this issue.”
“It was noted that further close cooperation in this area is necessary, both in the bilateral format and on relevant multilateral platforms, mainly within the framework of the GGE on LAWS.”
Meanwhile, China added that the talks covered “outer space security, biosecurity and artificial intelligence.”
China also announced that it was planning to install an all-seeing surveillance system on the moon to protect a planned lunar base larger than Disneyland using the technology it uses to spy on its citizens.
The nation wants to use the “successful experience” of its authoritarian Skynet surveillance system to protect the planned base against “suspicious targets,” according to a research paper written by scientists at the nation’s space agency and published in an academic journal.
Skynet is the largest surveillance network in the world and is used to monitor every corner of China. With more than 600 million cameras, there is an average of one camera for every two adults in the country.
