MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. The United States’ efforts to accelerate the development and deployment of a nuclear reactor on the Moon are unlikely to outpace a similar initiative by Russia and China, space exploration historian Alexander Zheleznyakov told TASS in an interview.
Earlier on Tuesday, Politico, citing internal NASA documents, reported that acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy would soon announce plans to expedite the process of establishing a lunar nuclear power plant. However, Zheleznyakov cautioned that Politico’s information might not be reliable. He acknowledged, nonetheless, that the US has longstanding nuclear and space ambitions. "There has been previous work in this area - perhaps this project will be revived. But I believe they won’t manage to surpass Russia and China," he said.
The historian pointed out that Russia possesses substantial technological reserves for such projects. "Recently, Mikhail Kovalchuk, president of the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center, mentioned that a prototype of a lunar nuclear reactor could be developed by the early 2030s. Naturally, there will be questions about how to deliver it to the Moon, but overall, our resources are far more robust than those of the US," Zheleznyakov emphasized. He also noted that China tends to keep its advancements in space nuclear technology under wraps.
On May 8, Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) signed an agreement to construct a lunar power station dedicated to fundamental space research. The Russian nuclear reactor will be a significant contribution to the International Lunar Research Station project, which is planned for completion by 2036. Additionally, on June 12, Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov declared that Russia’s nuclear power plant would be the first on the Moon.