Nuclear power plant on Moon? Russia wants to build one by 2036; US in 'race' to get there earlier

Russia aims to build a nuclear power plant on the moon by 2036 to power its lunar program and a joint Russian-Chinese research station. Major powers are competing to explore the moon, with both Russia and the United States racing to establish lunar bases for future space missions.

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, has signed a deal with aerospace company Lavochkin Association to build the lunar power plant. While not explicitly stated as nuclear, the project involves Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute, the country's leading nuclear research facility.

"The project is an important step towards the creation of a permanently functioning scientific lunar station and the transition from one-time missions to a long-term lunar exploration programme," Roscosmos explained in a statement, as quoted by Reuters.

Russia's space ambitions have faced setbacks recently. Their Luna-25 mission crashed on the moon in August 2023, and they've fallen behind the US and China in space exploration. This is quite a change for a country that made history when Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space in 1961.




US also in the race

The US is also in the lunar nuclear race. Nasa wants to put its own reactor on the moon by early 2030. US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said in August, "We're in a race to the moon, in a race with China to the moon. And to have a base on the moon, we need energy."

There's more at stake than just national pride. The moon holds valuable resources. Nasa estimated there's a million tonnes of Helium-3, a rare earth isotope. Boeing research shows the moon also contains precious rare earth metals used in smartphones and computers.

While space laws ban nuclear weapons in space, they allow nuclear power sources if they follow safety rules.