Russia, China Aim to Put a Nuclear Plant on the Moon

Russia and China are considering putting a nuclear power station on the moon in about 10 years.

The head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, made the statement recently. He added that such a project could support the building of moon settlements one day.

Borisov said that Russia and China had been working on a moon program together. The former deputy defense minister explained that Russia was able to help with its expertise in "nuclear space energy."

"Today we are seriously considering a project - somewhere at the turn of 2033-2035 - to deliver and install a power unit on the lunar surface together with our Chinese colleagues," Borisov said.

Solar panels would not be able to provide enough electricity to power future moon settlements, he said, while nuclear power could.

He said the possible plan should be done "without the presence of humans."

Borisov also spoke about Russian plans to build a nuclear-powered spaceship to carry cargo. He said all the technical questions concerning the project had been solved, except for finding out how to cool the nuclear reactor.

He said the ship would be a large "structure that would be able, thanks to a nuclear reactor and ... high-power turbines...to transport large cargoes from one orbit to another." He added that such a ship could collect objects for many other projects.

Russian officials have spoken before about plans to mine minerals on the moon. But the Russian space program has suffered a series of problems in recent years.

Its first moon mission in 47 years failed last year after Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft lost control and crashed.

Russian officials have said they will launch further lunar missions and then explore the possibility of a joint Russian-China crewed mission and even a lunar base.

Last month, China said it aimed to put the first Chinese astronaut on the moon before 2030.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last month said a warning by the United States that Russia planned to put nuclear weapons in space was false. Putin said the warning was part of a plan to force Russia into arms negotiations on the West's terms.

I'm John Russell.

John Russell adapted this story from a Reuters report.

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Words in This Story

expertise –n. special knowledge that relates to field or an industry

deliver –v. to take something from one place to another in order to fulfill a request

install –v. to put equipment or software in a place where it is to be used

lunar – adj. of or relating to the moon

solar panel – n. a large, flat piece of equipment that uses the sun's light or heat to create electricity

cargo –n. products or objects carried by a vehicle from one place to another for a price that is often based on weight

turbine – n. an engine that has a part with blades that are caused to spin by pressure