Yuri Borisov, the chairman of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, stated on Tuesday that the country and China are thinking of building a nuclear power station on the moon between 2033 and 2035. According to Borisov, this might eventually lead to the construction of lunar settlements.
Former deputy minister of defence, Borisov claimed that China and Russia had been collaborating on a lunar programme and that Moscow could provide knowledge on “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.
He claimed that nuclear power may power future lunar settlements, but solar panels would not be able to supply enough electricity. “This is a very serious challenge…it should be done in automatic mode, without the presence of humans,” he said of the possible plan.
Borisov also mentioned Russian aspirations to construct a freight spaceship propelled by nuclear energy. He said that every technical query pertaining to the project had been answered, with the exception of figuring out how to cool the nuclear reactor.
“We are indeed working on a space tugboat. This huge, cyclopean structure that would be able, thanks to a nuclear reactor and a high-power turbines…to transport large cargoes from one orbit to another, collect space debris and engage in many other applications,” Borisov said.
Moscow has declared that it will carry out additional lunar missions before looking into the prospect of a crewed joint Russian-Chinese mission and possibly even a lunar outpost.
