The Russian space agency Roscosmos has announced plans to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon in cooperation with China. According to the plan, it will have to provide energy for the future Russian-Chinese lunar base. Construction will be carried out without the presence of people. It should be noted that the announcement of the intention to jointly build an international lunar research station (ILRS) was made back in 2021. It was called international for the reason that the project is “open to all interested,” as stated in the statement.
Russia and China will build a nuclear reactor on the Moon for a future lunar base
Why is a nuclear reactor needed on the Moon
The presence of a reliable and constant source of energy is one of the most important conditions for the construction of Lunar bases. Currently, solar panels serve as an energy source for spacecraft, including lunar landing modules. However, they are effective only when the Sun is shining.
Remember that on the Moon the night lasts 14 Earth days, so it is difficult to store energy in batteries for such a long time. In addition, solar panels are unlikely to be able to generate enough energy to meet the needs of the lunar base and at the same time charge a large number of batteries.
The reactor will provide electricity to the lunar base
A nuclear reactor is the optimal solution as a source of energy on the Moon. It must be said that back in September 2023, British scientists announced their plans to create a compact nuclear reactor that would be powered by tiny fuel elements. After testing, NASA will also use it for future missions, including lunar ones.
When the nuclear reactor is built
Roscosmos announced that it will try to build a nuclear reactor together with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Tuesday 5 March. According to Roscosmos General Director Yuri Borisov, the project should be implemented at the turn of 2033-2035. He also added that the work will most likely be carried out without the presence of people. Moreover, the necessary technological solutions for this are almost ready. However, no technical details regarding the reactor and its construction technologies are yet known.
To deliver all the necessary cargo, Roscosmos plans to use powerful nuclear-powered rockets. However, the agency has not yet figured out how to ensure the safety of such missiles. The current problem is the cooling system of the nuclear reactor, so the agency is looking for a solution to this problem, as reported by Reuters.
China has been exploring the surface of the Moon since 2013
China's presence on the Moon< /h2>
China has been on the Moon since 2013, when the Chang'e 3 mission landed a lander carrying a lunar exploration rover. This was followed by two more missions, Chang'e-4 in 2019 and Chang'e-5 in 2020. They were also successful, as a result of which the spacecraft were delivered to the Moon. Moreover, as part of the last mission, samples of lunar soil were delivered to Earth.
By the way, this year CNSA plans to once again deliver lunar soil to Earth for further research. Thus, China has been actively exploring the Moon for more than 10 years and has made many important discoveries. For example, Chinese scientists have discovered many giant caves. In their opinion, they can be used for the construction of lunar bases.
Recall that at present, besides China, only four countries have managed to send their vehicles to the Moon, since to this day this remains a difficult task. In particular, the Russian spacecraft Luna-25 crashed, leaving behind a ten-meter crater.
China plans to land on the moon in 2030
The Chinese National Space Administration is also actively preparing for the landing of astronauts on the moon, which should take place in 2030. Over the next two years, CNSA will begin launching giant reusable rockets that will later be used for manned missions.
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But China may not be the first country to land people on the Moon since the end of the Apollo mission. NASA is working to get ahead of CNSA. The US agency is currently relying on private missions to bring essential equipment to the Moon in preparation for landing humans. There is also currently a spacecraft already available for flight. However, the first manned mission, Artemis, has been postponed until 2026.