Russia has revealed that it has begun building a nuclear power plant to be placed on the moon as part of its planned joint lunar base with China.
The two countries are collaborating on the International Lunar Research Station, a huge complex on the moon that will begin construction 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 study the properties of the moon.
RIA reported that Moscow planned to deliver and install the plant between 2033 and 2035, citing Yuri Borisov, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
In March, Borisov said Moscow was considering the idea of powering the station with nuclear energy, because lunar nights last about 14 Earth days, making solar panels on the Moon’s surface less viable as a source. of energy.
Yuri Borisov, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos (pictured right with Russian President Vladimir Putin) has said that Moscow has started building a nuclear power plant to be placed on the moon as part of its planned lunar base joint with China, according to Russian reports
He said at the time that the mission would see two Russian rockets attempt to reach the north and south poles of the Moon in 2028.
The creation of the International Scientific Lunar Station will take place in two stages between 2025 and 2035, RIA reported, and will consist of several modules.
In April, Borisov said it would be necessary to create a compact, reliable and durable long-term supply of nuclear energy for the base to operate.
China and Russia have confirmed that they had been in talks about “outer space security” and “artificial intelligence weapons”, while China confirmed in 2022 that it was joining forces with Russia to build the base that would rival the Lunar Gateway project planned by The NASA.
Russian and Chinese officials met in February to discuss “Russian and Chinese doctrinal guidelines and initiatives,” according to reports at the time.
The countries agreed to continue cooperating under the 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 R&D.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said at the time: ‘The meeting confirmed the closeness of the Russian and Chinese approaches to this issue.
Russia and China are collaborating on the International Lunar Research Station, a huge complex on the moon whose construction will begin in 2026 (file image)
In March, Borisov (pictured) said Moscow was considering the idea of powering the station with nuclear power, because lunar nights last about 14 Earth days, making solar panels on the Moon’s surface less viable as a source of energy.
“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.
The news that Russia has begun building the nuclear power plant is the latest step in Moscow and Beijing’s joint effort in a renewed space race against the West.
Nations compete for the south pole and the ‘dark side’ of the moon
The new race is heating up after half a century, with Russia, China and the United States working to be the first to land humans, robots and even lunar trains on the Moon.
The prize is huge, with resources ranging from “rare earth” minerals used in electronics to helium-3, a potential energy source that could power a nuclear fusion revolution offering infinite clean energy.
Morgan Stanley has previously suggested that the global space industry could be worth $1 trillion a year by 2040, and could make Elon Musk (behind the SpaceX company) the world’s first billionaire.
While Russia and China make plans for their lunar base, NASA plans to send the first woman to Mars in the middle of this decade.
Defense contractor Northrop Grumman is drawing up plans for a railroad on the moon to transport goods between bases, and the moon’s south pole is believed to contain reserves of water (which can be converted into fuel for spacecraft mining asteroids or landing on Mars).
NASA has talked of a “lunar gold rush,” and Russia has said it would launch more lunar missions and then explore the possibility of a joint mission manned by Russia and China.
Rare earth metals, used in smartphones, computers and advanced technologies, are available on the Moon, according to Boeing research.
Helium-3 is a form of helium gas that is rare on Earth, but NASA says there are estimates of a million tons on the Moon.
Helium 3 could provide nuclear power in a fusion reactor, but since it is not radioactive, it would not produce hazardous waste (although so far nuclear fusion is not yet financially viable despite recent advances).
Most plans for “lunar mining” involve robots doing much of the work, supervised by humans, either on lunar bases or on orbiting space stations.
But the law on who “owns” the Moon or its resources is unclear, and more than 80 countries already have a presence in space.
Philosopher AC Grayling writes in his new book Who Owns the Moon?: “A space Wild West is emerging.
“The consequences for peace and stability on Earth, which are already tenuous in conventional terms… could be, and most likely will be, like gasoline to the fire.”
Water will be an important resource on the moon
The 1966 U.N. Outer Space Treaty says no nation can claim sovereignty over the Moon, although lawyers say it is unclear whether a private entity can claim areas.
In 2020, the United States announced the Artemis Accords to establish “safe zones” on the Moon, but Russia and China have not signed on.
The south pole is being targeted by China and NASA, which has identified 13 possible landing sites near the moon’s south pole for Artemis III, which will return humans to the moon.
Only 12 people have ever walked on the Moon, all of them men, and no one has been on the Moon since Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt in December 1972.