Russia plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon by the mid-2030s to support its lunar programme and a joint Russian-Chinese research station, its state space agency Roscosmos said.
Roscosmos said it has signed a contract with the Lavochkin Association to develop the project, which is intended to supply energy for lunar rovers, scientific observatories and the infrastructure of the planned International Lunar Research Station.
Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute
While the agency did not explicitly describe the plant as nuclear, the project involves Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute, the country's leading nuclear research body.
The announcement comes as Russia seeks to reassert itself as a major space power after setbacks in recent years, including the failure of its Luna-25 mission in 2023, which crashed during a landing attempt on the Moon.
A key goal of Russia's long-term space strategy
Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov has previously said placing a nuclear power plant on the Moon is a key goal of Russia's long-term space strategy, alongside renewed exploration of Venus.
The United States has also announced plans to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon by around 2030, underscoring growing competition among space powers. International rules ban nuclear weapons in space but allow nuclear energy systems under specific regulations.
The renewed interest reflects the Moon's strategic value, including potential access to resources such as helium-3 and rare earth elements, as countries race to establish a sustained human and scientific presence beyond Earth.