They specify it for 2033-2035
Russia and China are considering building one nuclear power plant to the Moon around 2033-35, Yuri Borisov, the head of Russia’s Roskosmos space agency, said today, which he said could one day enable the construction of lunar settlements.
Borisov, a former deputy defense minister, said Russia and China are working together on a lunar program and that Moscow is able to contribute its expertise in the field of “nuclear space energy”.
“Today we are seriously considering a project – sometime in 2033-2035 – to send (a mission) and build a power station on the surface of Moon together with our Chinese colleagues,” Borisov said.
Solar panels won’t be able to provide enough electricity to power future lunar settlements, he said, while nuclear power could.
“This is a very serious challenge … it should work automatically, without the presence of humans,” he said of the possible design.
Borisov also referred to her plans of Russia to build a nuclear-powered shuttle spacecraft. He said all technical issues concerning the project have been resolved except for finding a solution on how to cool the nuclear reactor.
“We are indeed working on a space tug. This huge, cyclopean structure that will be able, thanks to a nuclear reactor and high-powered turbines … to transport large loads from one orbit to another, collect space debris and be compatible with many other applications,” said Borisov.
Russian officials have spoken in the past about ambitious plans to one day mine the Moon, but the Russian space program has suffered a series of setbacks in recent years, APE noted.
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 carry out further missions to the Moon and then pursue the possibility of a joint Russian-Chinese manned mission as well as establishing a base on the Moon.
OR China said last month that it aims to send the first Chinese astronaut to the Moon before 2030.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed a United States warning that Moscow plans to install nuclear weapons in space as false, saying it was a ploy to lure Russia into arms negotiations on the West’s terms.
