Amidst the increasing competition between major powers to explore the moon, Russia has announced its intention to establish a power generation station on its surface within the next decade. The aim of this step is to support its lunar program, in addition to a joint Russian-Chinese research station.
Since Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel to space in 1961, Russia has maintained a prominent position in this field. However, its position has declined in recent decades behind both the United States and China.
In August 2023, Russian space ambitions suffered a severe blow when the unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft crashed on the moon’s surface while attempting to land. This coincided with Elon Musk making a quantum leap in spacecraft launch operations, an area in which Russia previously excelled.
The Russian space agency Roscosmos stated in a statement that it plans to build a power plant on the moon by 2036, and has signed a contract with the Lavochkin Association space company to implement this project. The agency did not explicitly state whether the station would rely on nuclear power, but indicated that the participants include the state-owned Rosatom company and the Kurchatov Institute, the largest nuclear research center in Russia.
Roscosmos explained that the aim of this station is to provide the energy necessary for the Russian lunar program, including rovers, an observatory, and the infrastructure for the joint Russian-Chinese International Lunar Research Station. The agency considered this project to be a fundamental step towards establishing a permanent scientific station on the moon, and moving from individual missions to a long-term exploration program.
These plans are not limited to Russia alone. NASA announced last August its intention to place a nuclear reactor on the moon by the first quarter of fiscal year 2030. Commenting on these plans, US Secretary of Transportation Shawn Dafoe said that the United States is “in a race to get to the moon with China,” noting that establishing a base on its surface requires providing sufficient energy sources.
Research conducted by Boeing indicates the presence of rare earth minerals on the moon’s surface, which are used in the manufacture of smartphones, computers, and advanced technologies, including scandium, yttrium, and 15 lanthanide elements.
