Russia Plans to Build Nuclear Power Plant on the Moon in 5-7 Years

St Petersburg - Russia may develop a nuclear power plant (NPP) on the Moon within five to seven years, said Mikhail Kovalchuk, president of Russia’s Kurchatov Institute, on Thursday (19/3). Kovalchuk made the statement while attending a Leningrad region government meeting to discuss issues related to scientific and technological leadership. In his presentation, he outlined a potential design for the NPP intended for placement on the Moon. Earlier on Thursday, Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia’s state nuclear company Rosatom, stated that the planned lunar NPP would have a capacity of at least 5 kW and an operational life of up to 10 years. According to Likhachev, Rosatom is currently collaborating with the Kurchatov Institute and the state space company Roscosmos to design the facility. Vasily Marfin, CEO of NPO Lavochkin, a Russian developer and producer of uncrewed interplanetary vehicles, said that the NPP would be assembled on the Moon between 2033 and 2035. Three lunar power plants will be transported to the Moon for this purpose, he said.