Official: Putin and Xi Jinping signed a memorandum to build a lunar power plant

• Although the project is consistent with the extensive partnership between Russia and China in the fields of nuclear power and space, it represents only the proverbial “tip of the iceberg” of cooperation between the two countries in the nuclear field.

• During a visit to Moscow in March 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a long-term strategic cooperation program in the field of nuclear energy. The agreement, which extends until 2030, includes the development of “fast neutron reactors,” fourth-generation nuclear reactors based on Russian technology. These reactors have the advantage of being cooled with liquid metal instead of water.

• Officially, the Lunar Power Plant project aims to provide power to the future science station on the Moon and will become a key element of the International Lunar Station (MNLS) infrastructure. Thirteen states have joined the joint Russian-Chinese initiative to establish the MNLS, including several member countries of the BRICS association

• Parallel to the nuclear partnership, there is extensive and growing Sino-Russian joint action in the space sector, as the two powers can take advantage of each other's expertise. Russia also supplies China with thermonuclide (TB) units, or thermoelectric radioisotopic elements, to meet the needs of China's lunar program. It also participates in the construction of new modules for China's Tiangong space station. In addition, Russian and Chinese cosmonauts conduct joint space flights. In March 2021, Russia's state space agency “Roscosmos” and China's National Space Administration signed a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of an international lunar surface science station (ILRS). The agreement includes a roadmap for the realization of the Russian-Chinese lunar station.

• Between 2026 and 2030, Russia and China plan to send two lunar missions to test lunar surface landing technology and transport lunar rock samples to Earth. Around 2031-2035, the two countries plan to build infrastructure in the lunar orbit and on its surface, including the transfer of equipment needed to provide power and conduct scientific research.

• In addition, in November 2022, the two countries signed an agreement to integrate the Russian “Glonass” and Chinese “Beidou” space navigation systems.

Roscosmos and China's National Space Administration (CNCA) have concluded a memorandum of cooperation for the construction of a power plant on the Moon.

The signing of the document took place as part of negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China, held recently in Moscow.

The memorandum was included in the list of agreements reflecting the strengthening of the strategic partnership between the two countries in various fields, including space.

Russian-Chinese cooperation has made significant progress in various fields over the years. The strategic partnership between the two countries has become “borderless,” as announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin after their summit in February 2022.

On March 5, Moscow revealed that the two countries were planning to install a nuclear power plant on the surface of the Moon between 2033 and 2035. The project, which includes a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), will serve as a “power unit” to supplement the energy needs of future lunar settlements.

During a visit to Moscow in March 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a long-term strategic cooperation program in the field of nuclear energy. The agreement, which extends until 2030, includes the development of “fast neutron reactors,” fourth-generation nuclear reactors based on Russian technology. These reactors have the advantage of being cooled with liquid metal instead of water.

Although the project is consistent with the extensive partnership between Russia and China in the fields of nuclear power and space, it represents only the proverbial “tip of the iceberg” of cooperation between the two countries in the nuclear field.

What is it all about?

Officially, the Lunar Power Plant project aims to provide power to the future science station on the Moon and will become a key element of the International Lunar Station (MNLS) infrastructure.

The power plant will support basic space research: the study of the lunar surface, its composition and the space environment. The power complex was created to ensure a long-term human presence on Earth's natural satellite.

The signed memorandum confirms Russia and China's intention to jointly develop technologies for lunar exploration. The power plant is scheduled to be launched in 2036. 13 countries have already joined the project (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bolivia, Venezuela, Djibouti, Egypt, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Senegal, Serbia, Thailand, SOUTH AFRICA, and Ethiopia), making it an international platform for discovery and scientific cooperation.

MNLS is a complex created on the surface and/or in orbit around the Moon , designed to carry out multidisciplinary and multi-purpose research activities, including the study and use of the Moon, lunar observations, fundamental research experiments, as well as testing of technologies with long-term unmanned operation possibilities in the perspective of human presence on the Moon.

Implementation of the lunar power plant project will require the development of new technologies, including power generation and storage systems under lunar conditions. Russia and China will conduct joint research and coordinate efforts with other countries participating in the MNLS.

The construction of the lunar power plant is part of a larger program to build permanent infrastructure on the Moon. The project is of strategic importance not only for scientific progress, but also for the development of technologies that can be applied on Earth.

Russian-Chinese collaboration in the space field

Parallel to the nuclear partnership, there is extensive and growing Sino-Russian joint action in the space sector, as the two powers can take advantage of each other's expertise. Moscow was the first to launch a space satellite, “Sputnik,” on Oct. 4, 1957, and was also the largest nation to launch space satellites for itself and other countries. More than 60 percent of the world's space satellites, including American ones, are launched by Russian space rockets. China has also made great strides in its space program, becoming one of the world's leading space powers in the past half century since it launched China's first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, in 1970.

Russia also supplies China with thermonuclide (TB) units, or thermoelectric radioisotopic elements, to meet the needs of China's lunar program. It also participates in the construction of new modules for China's Tiangong space station. In addition, Russian and Chinese cosmonauts conduct joint space flights. In March 2021, Russia's state space agency “Roscosmos” and China's National Space Administration signed a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of an international lunar surface science station (ILRS). The agreement includes a roadmap for the realization of the Russian-Chinese lunar station.

Between 2026 and 2030, Russia and China plan to send two lunar missions to test lunar surface landing technology and transport lunar rock samples to Earth. Around 2031-2035, the two countries plan to build infrastructure in the lunar orbit and on its surface, including the transfer of equipment needed to provide power and conduct scientific research. According to the roadmap, the project will also include two scientific and technical rovers and a hopping robot, as well as two small smart rovers dedicated to studying the lunar surface.

In addition, in November 2022, the two countries signed an agreement to integrate the Russian “Glonass” and Chinese “Beidou” space navigation systems. The following month, in December 2022, the Russian space company “Roscosmos” and the Chinese National Space Administration signed a cooperation program for the years 2023-2027. The agreement includes the establishment of three Russian space navigation stations in the Chinese cities of Changzhong, Urumqi and Shanghai and three Chinese stations in the Russian cities of Obninsk, Irkutsk and Petrotlovsk-Kamčatsky.