(Web Desk) – Russia has announced plans to construct a power-generating station on the moon within the next decade, marking a major push in its renewed lunar ambitions. The project, led by state space agency Roscosmos, will support Russia’s lunar programme and a future joint Russian-Chinese International Lunar Research Station.
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Although Roscosmos has not explicitly confirmed a nuclear facility, the involvement of Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute strongly indicates a nuclear-powered system. The power plant is designed to run lunar rovers, an observatory, and station infrastructure and represents a shift from one-off missions toward long-term lunar presence.
Russia, once a pioneering space power since Yuri Gagarin’s historic flight in 1961, has seen its status decline following setbacks, including the failed Luna-25 mission in 2023. Meanwhile, private-sector advances by Elon Musk and China’s rising space presence have reshaped the global space race. Russia’s space leadership has also voiced plans to explore Venus as part of future ambitions.
The United States is also racing to deploy a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, with NASA emphasizing the need for sustainable lunar energy to support long-term bases and eventual Mars expeditions. While nuclear weapons are banned in space, international frameworks allow nuclear energy sources if compliant with regulations. With projections of vast lunar resources — including helium-3 and rare earth metals — analysts say a new era of lunar competition, driven by energy and mineral prospects, is rapidly intensifying.
