The governments of Russia and China are reportedly planning to establish a nuclear power plant on the moon.
Yuri Borisov, the head of Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, announced that the Kremlin was contemplating whether to construct a nuclear power unit on the moon alongside the Chinese government.
BREAKING 🚨: Russia and China are working on plans to deliver and install a nuclear power plant on the Moon by 2035 pic.twitter.com/NlpfEqwO7E
— Latest in space (@latestinspace) March 5, 2024
“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. “This is a very serious challenge. It should be done in automatic mode, without the presence of humans.”
Borisov added that the Russian government is also working to build a nuclear-powered “space tugboat.”
“We are indeed working on a space tugboat. This huge, cyclopean structure that would be able, thanks to a nuclear reactor and high-power turbines … to transport large cargoes from one orbit to another, collect space debris and engage in many other applications,” the Russian official said.
The National Pulse noted that Borisov’s announcement comes weeks after the governments of Russia and China have discussed “outer space security” and weapons dealing with artificial intelligence (AI).
Both nations have also agreed to cooperate on a proposal backed by the United Nations (UN), called the Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) policy.
Russia and China have confirmed they will take similar approaches to using AI technology in space through “doctrinal guidelines and initiatives.” Talks between Russia and China extended to “outer space security, biosecurity, and artificial intelligence.”
The head of the U.S. Space Command, Gen. Stephen Whiting, recently warned against Russia and China’s rapidly developing military capabilities in space.
“The PRC’s and Russia’s actions have transformed space into a contested warfighting domain,” Whiting told lawmakers, adding that China has “dramatically increased their ability to monitor, track and target U.S. and allied forces both terrestrially and on orbit.”
“Russia also continues to develop, test and demonstrate their counter-space capabilities, despite not having achieved their war aims from their invasion of Ukraine,” Whiting continued.
Newsweek reported that in November 2023, the Russian government struck a cooperation deal with China under which both countries would establish an International Scientific Lunar Station to explore the surface of the moon together.
