Space travel: Russia is considering a nuclear power plant on the moon

Space travel
Russia is considering a nuclear power plant on the moon

Roscosmos boss Yuri Borisov (r) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (M). photo

© Vladimir Smirnov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/dpa

A nuclear power plant on the moon. The idea sounds absurd, not only given the risks of such an investment. However, there are serious considerations to be made about it.

According to official information, Russia is considering building a nuclear power plant on the moon. “Today we are seriously considering the project of supplying and setting up an energy facility on the lunar surface sometime between 2033 and 2035 together with our Chinese colleagues,” Roscosmos space agency chief Yuri Borissov told young people at an event.

The construction will not be done by hand, but automatically; the technical solutions for this practically already exist, he assured.

At the same time, Borissov emphasized that it was not about stationing nuclear weapons in space. Russia has always spoken out against this and remains committed to this position. Recently there was speculation in the USA that Russia wanted to attack satellites with a new type of nuclear weapon. Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected these speculations.

Russia and China signed a declaration of intent to expand their cooperation in space in 2021 – also against the background of increasing tensions between Moscow and the West. Russia has announced its withdrawal from the ISS space station. The cooperation, which was originally supposed to end after 2024, is now to be continued at least until 2028.

China has its own lunar exploration program. The unmanned probe “Chang’e 6” is scheduled to set off to Earth’s satellite as early as May to collect rock samples.

dpa

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