China and Russia Unite for Lunar Power Plant, US Left in Dust

China and Russia have finalized a deal to build a nuclear power plant on the moon.

The agreement, signed by both countries, specifies that a Russian reactor will provide power for the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which is collaboratively managed by China and Russia, with completion expected by 2036, according to Space.com.

This development comes shortly after NASA presented a budget plan for 2026 that would scrap its own lunar outpost initiatives.

In a 2024 interview with Yury Borisov, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, featured on the state-owned news site TASS, he mentioned that the construction of the Chinese-Russian reactor is likely to occur autonomously, “without human presence.” While the exact methods for this remain uncertain, he noted that the necessary technologies are “almost ready.”

According to Roscosmos, the station will focus on essential space research and testing technologies for sustained uncrewed operations of the ILRS, with the eventual goal of enabling human presence on the Moon. This statement was released on May 8, shortly after the memorandum was executed.

So far, 17 countries, including Egypt, Pakistan, Venezuela, Thailand, and South Africa, have signed on to this initiative. This new research station aims to be a permanent, inhabited lunar base located at the Moon’s south pole. China’s Chang’e-8 mission, set for 2028, will pave the way for human landings on the Moon.

In June 2021, China and Russia announced a plan to launch five super heavy-lift rockets between 2030 and 2035 to transport components for the robotic moon base as part of the ILRS project.