- Vladimir Putin says setting up a nuclear-powered unit in space is a priority
- Russia and China have previously said they want to set one up within a decade
- The two countries collaborate on the International Lunar Research Station
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that setting up a nuclear-powered unit in space is a priority.
It comes after Yuri Borisov, head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency, said last week that Russia and China are considering putting a nuclear power plant on the moon between 2033 and 2035.
The two countries are working together on the International Lunar Research Station, a huge complex on the moon that will start operating in 2026.
The proposed base, which will have a radius of nearly four miles, larger than any Disney theme park, will house scientists who will study the moon’s properties in depth.
Borisov, Russia’s former deputy prime minister, spoke about the plans during the Knowledge.First marathon as part of the World Youth Festival.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that setting up a nuclear-powered unit in space is a priority
China and Russia are working together on the International Lunar Research Station, a massive complex on the moon that will start operating in 2026 (File image)
He revealed further details about the Luna-27 mission, which is being launched jointly with the European Space Agency.
He said the 2028 mission would see two Russian rockets attempt to reach both the moon’s north and south poles.
The news comes after China and Russia confirmed they were in talks on ‘space security’ and ‘AI weapons’.
Officials met in February to discuss “doctrinal guidelines and initiatives of Russia and China.”
The countries agree to further cooperate within the framework of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) of States Parties to the Convention on Inhumane Weapons on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), a UN-backed weapons development policy.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said at the time: ‘The meeting confirmed the close ties between Russian and Chinese approaches to this issue.
‘It was noted that there is a need for further close cooperation in this area, both in a bilateral format and in the relevant multilateral platforms, mainly in the framework of the GGE on LAWS.’
China, meanwhile, added that the talks covered “space security, biosecurity and artificial intelligence.”
China also announced that it plans to install an all-seeing surveillance system on the moon to protect a planned moon base larger than Disneyland using the technology it uses to spy on its citizens.
The country wants to use the “successful experience” of its authoritarian Skynet surveillance system to protect the planned base from “suspicious targets,” according to a research paper written by scientists at the national space agency and published in an academic journal.
Skynet is the world’s largest surveillance network and is used to monitor every nook and cranny of China. With more than 600 million cameras, there is an average of one camera for every two adults in the country.
