Russia, China set to complete construction of nuclear plant on Moon by 2036

Russia has signed an agreement with China for the construction of a nuclear power plant.

According to a report by Space.com, the Russian nuclear reactor will be used to provide power for the joint research operation to be built on the moon by China and Russia.

The memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries states that the construction of this nuclear plant and research center will be completed by 2036. This announcement comes at a time when the US space agency has revealed that in its 2026 budget recommendations, it has canceled the plan to build a research center in lunar orbit.

The Director General of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, stated during an interview in 2024 that the construction of this nuclear power plant will be completed without humans. It is still unknown how this will be possible, but according to Yuri Borisov, the technology for this is almost ready. In a statement following a memorandum of understanding on May 8, 2025, he mentioned that fundamental space research will be conducted at this research center and that the technology for performing long-term operations without humans will be tested at the center.