Two powers will build a nuclear power plant. On the moon

An automated nuclear power plant being jointly constructed by China and Russia on the Moon will begin operating in 2035, a joint memorandum from Roscosmos and the Chinese National Space Administration said. It will be part of the International Lunar Exploration Station (ILRS) and will provide energy for long-term studies of the Silver Globe.

The aim of the ILRS project is to establish a stable research base located 100 kilometers from the South Pole, which will host long-term autonomous operations and short-term missions involving scientists from China and Russia.

"The station will conduct basic space research and test technologies necessary for long-term unmanned missions aimed at returning humans to the Moon," Roscosmos said in a statement.

In turn, Wu Weiren, chief engineer of China's exploration program, announced that his country will invite 50 countries, 500 research institutions and 5,000 scientists from around the world to participate in the "555 Project" , which is part of the ILRS.

Experts point out that, in addition to scientific activity, the powers are primarily interested in the natural resources of Earth's only natural satellite. Rare earth metals and even significant deposits of Helium-3 , which could be used as fuel for nuclear reactors, may be found beneath the surface.

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There is no consensus, however, on which country has the rights to mine them. Alexander Soucek of the European Space Agency (ESA) believes that under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, no country can claim ownership rights on or under the lunar surface. "This is a matter of international law, and states have an obligation to enforce the law against their citizens and private companies," he told Deutsche Welle.

The International Lunar Exploration Station is a competing project to the American Artemis program, which plans to build a Gateway space station orbiting the Earth satellite and return astronauts to the Moon by the end of 2025. The ILRS will be used for long-term interdisciplinary scientific research, and construction work will begin after the completion of the Chang'e 8 mission in 2028.

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China has been sending unmanned rovers to the lunar surface since 2013 and mapping it, including the far side. Last year, rock samples were taken from that side for the first time, in what state news agency Xinhua (New China) called an "unprecedented achievement in the history of lunar exploration."