Roscosmos has inked a contract with key space and nuclear companies to construct a facility linked to the China-led lunar base by 2036
Russia intends to deploy a power station on the Moon within ten years, as announced by space agency Roscosmos, which stated it has entered into a contract with NPO Lavochkin—Russia’s primary developer of deep-space and planetary missions—to conduct work on the project through 2036.
The facility’s aim is to deliver a long-term energy supply for lunar rovers, an observatory, and the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), Roscosmos noted in a Wednesday statement.
NPO Lavochkin oversaw historic Soviet missions to the Moon and Venus and continues to be the lead developer for Russia’s current lunar endeavors. State nuclear corporation Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute—Russia’s preeminent national research center for nuclear science—will participate in the project, it added.
In the coming ten years, Roscosmos intends to develop spacecraft, perform ground-based experimental testing, conduct flight tests, and establish infrastructure on the Moon.
“This project represents a significant step toward establishing a permanently operational scientific lunar station and transitioning from single missions to a long-term lunar exploration program,” Roscosmos stated.
The planned power station will be part of a joint lunar initiative with China. During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow in May, the two nations signed an agreement to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon to power Beijing’s permanent lunar research base, set to become operational in the mid-2030s. Russia is a critical partner in this effort, contributing its expertise in deep-space systems and nuclear power.
Nuclear energy is widely viewed by space agencies as the most feasible option for long-term power generation on the Moon, where solar panels are less effective due to extended dark periods, highly sticky lunar dust, and extreme temperature fluctuations.
This announcement occurs against a backdrop of increasing competition in lunar exploration. The US, China’s primary space rival, has launched the Artemis program, which seeks to return astronauts to the Moon, establish a sustained presence near the south pole, and construct the Lunar Gateway—a small space station that will orbit the Moon.