Russia begins development of nuclear power plant for joint lunar station with China, RIA reports

MOSCOW:

Russia has begun developing a nuclear power plant for its planned joint lunar station with China, RIA news agency quoted Yuri Borisov, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, as saying on Wednesday.

In March, Borissov said Moscow was considering the idea of ​​powering the station with nuclear power. Something he said could one day enable the construction of lunar settlements.

Borisov, a former deputy defense minister, said Russia and China were working together on a lunar program and that Moscow was able to contribute its “nuclear space energy” expertise.

Borisov also spoke at the time about Russian plans to build a nuclear-powered cargo spacecraft. He said all technical questions about the project have been resolved except finding a solution on how to cool the nuclear reactor.

“We are indeed working on a space tug. This huge, cyclopean structure that could, thanks to a nuclear reactor and a high-powered turbine … transport large loads from one orbit to another, collect space debris and engage in many other applications,” Borisov said.

Also read: Russia says it’s considering putting a nuclear plant on the moon with China

Russian officials have previously talked about ambitious plans to one day mine the moon, but the Russian space program has suffered a series of setbacks in recent years.

Its first mission to the moon in 47 years failed last year after the Russian Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and crashed.

Moscow has said it will launch further lunar missions and then explore the possibility of a joint Russian-Chinese manned mission and even a lunar base.

China said in February that it aimed to put the first Chinese astronaut on the moon before 2030.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in February dismissed a United States warning that Moscow planned to put nuclear weapons in space as false, saying it was a ploy to lure Russia into arms negotiations on the West’s terms.