China and Russia have formalized an agreement for the construction of a nuclear power plant on the moon. A cooperation contract signed by the two nations stipulates that a Russian-built reactor will provide power to the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a joint initiative led by China and Russia, with an anticipated completion date of 2036, as reported by Space.com.
This announcement comes shortly after NASA unveiled a budget proposal for 2026 that would discontinue the agency’s plans for an orbital lunar outpost. According to a 2024 interview with Yury Borisov, director general of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, published on the Russian state-owned news site TASS, the construction of the Chinese-Russian reactor is likely to be completed autonomously “without the presence of humans.” While the precise method for achieving this remains unclear, Borisov stated that the technological advancements are “almost ready.”
Roscosmos issued a notice on May 8th, following the signing of the memorandum, affirming that “The station will conduct fundamental space research and test technology for long-term uncrewed operations of the ILRS, with the prospect of a human being’s presence on the Moon.” To date, 17 nations have joined the initiative, including Egypt, Pakistan, Venezuela, Thailand, and South Africa. The new research station is envisioned as a permanent, crewed lunar colony situated at the moon’s south pole. Its foundation will be laid by China’s 2028 Chang’e-8 mission, which is intended to be the country’s first mission to land humans on the moon. In June 2021, China and Russia announced their intention to utilize five super heavy-lift rocket launches between 2030 and 2035 to transport the components for a robotic moon base as part of the ILRS program.
