Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting. Sputnik/Sergei Guneev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo.
The ambitious race to establish a human presence on the Moon has gained new momentum with Russia’s revelation that it has begun construction of a nuclear power plant. This development is part of an unprecedented collaboration between Russia and China, two regimes that join forces to create the International Lunar Research Station, a scientific complex scheduled to begin construction in 2026. According to Yuri Borisov, director of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, the installation of this critical nuclear infrastructure is expected to take place between 2033 and 2035.
The joint project symbolizes a clear competition of these authoritarian regimes in their space race against the West and particularly against NASA’s projects to develop the path to lunar exploration and beyond. China and Russia have assured that their cooperation covers several domains, including “outer space security” and the development of “artificial intelligence weapons,” pointing out the importance of this alliance in the field of defense and scientific research.
The scenario for this deployment is not without ambitious vision, as the planned base will cover an area of almost four miles, exceeding the size of any Disney theme park, and will focus on studying the unique properties of the Moon. The technical challenges are significant; The long lunar nights, which last approximately 14 Earth days, make the use of solar panels unfeasible, leading Borisov to propose nuclear energy as a solution.
Cooperation between Russia and China also has a security and surveillance aspect, as can be deduced from China’s plans to apply its “successful experience” of its Skynet surveillance system on the Moon, intended to protect the base against “suspicious targets.” This surveillance system is the largest in the world, designed to monitor every corner of China, with more than 600 million cameras installed across the country.
In addition to advances in infrastructure and surveillance, the International Lunar Scientific Station will be built in two stages between 2025 and 2035, involving the deployment of several modules designed to withstand the harsh lunar conditions. “It will be necessary to create a compact, reliable and durable long-term supply of nuclear energy for the base to function,” Borisov highlighted in April.
As Russia and China outline plans for their lunar presence, the international community is watching closely. The possibility of a “lunar gold rush,” as NASA has mentioned, suggests a future in which lunar resources, from minerals to helium-3, potentially revolutionary for nuclear fusion energy, could transform the global economy and society. However, the legality of who “owns” lunar resources remains a topic of intense debate, despite it being a commons under the 1966 UN Outer Space Treaty.
Russia’s goal of conducting more lunar missions and the possibility of a joint mission manned by Russia and China suggest that collaboration between these two nations could extend beyond the creation of a base, encompassing the exploration and possible exploitation of lunar resources. This, along with AC Grayling’s comments about the emergence of a “space wild west,” raises questions about peace and terrestrial stability in this new arena of global competition.
The new space race, with its promising but potentially conflicting prizes, is ushering in an era in which the resources and emerging technology of the Moon could become a catalyst for unprecedented transformations in life on Earth and possibly beyond. Thus, as Russia and China advance their lunar project, the world keeps its eyes on the skies, contemplating how this collaboration could redefine the future of humanity in space.