Russia to build its own power station on the Moon by 2036
The implementation of a project to build a lunar power station based on a nuclear power unit will begin in the Russian Federation next year as part of the national technological leadership project "Space". The development of the lunar power station is being carried out by the Roscosmos and Rosatom State Corporations, as well as the National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute". This was announced during the presentation session "Platform of the Future. 100 Projects of Russia. Technologies", which was held on 16 December at the National Centre RUSSIA.
"For
further exploration and development of the Moon, it is necessary to take a
qualitatively new step — to create a permanently operating automated scientific
lunar station. This will allow us to move from one-off missions to a long-term
programme," said one of the session moderators, the Deputy Minister of
Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Alexei Matushansky, outlining the
topic of the "Space" block.
According
to him, addressing this task requires the construction of off-world nuclear
power stations. Within the new national project "Space", the
Roscosmos State Corporation has set itself a challenging task from the
perspective of science, engineering and technology – to create a lunar power
station based on a nuclear power unit by 2036, he added.
"For
lunar infrastructure to operate properly, it is necessary to create a lunar
power station capable of supplying it with energy. The lunar power station will
include a rover whose tasks will involve connecting consumers to the charging
and distribution system," said Denis Kutovoy, Deputy Director of the
Department of Space Systems of the State Corporation for Space Activities
Roscosmos.
According
to him, as part of the national project "Space", Roscosmos, together
with the Russian Academy of Sciences, will implement the federal project
"Space Science" starting in 2026. The project envisages a series of
launches of spacecraft for research purposes through to 2036. Some of these
spacecraft will be consumers of energy generated by the Russian lunar power
station.
"This
includes a research rover that will travel across a selected area of the Moon
that is of the greatest interest in terms of establishing a future lunar base.
It will study the lunar soil. In addition, the creation of a lunar observatory
is planned. All of this requires energy. However, this is only the first stage
towards the future expansion of humanity into space. At this stage, we are
talking about plans to create a foundation on the Earth’s natural satellite,
relying on which we will later be able to define the goals and objectives of
human exploration of deep space," Denis Kutovoy concluded.
The
ambitious task of building a lunar power station is entirely achievable, said
Hero of the Russian Federation and test pilot-cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky. He added
that this requires the selection of the right specialists and thorough
preparation for work in space. According to him, in the past, only one
cosmonaut could be selected from a thousand candidates, because mistakes in
space are unacceptable and every crew member must clearly understand their
role.
"At
the stage of backup training or preparation for a flight, every cosmonaut fully
practises the entire cycle of activities related to repair, technical
maintenance and work with various experiments. All of this is worked through on
Earth. In space, radio messages are received each time with instructions and a
detailed list of actions. I am far from being a scientist and sometimes may not
understand all the subtleties of the processes taking place during a particular
experiment. But I must perform everything precisely, down to the last detail,
exactly as requested by the experiment designer or the specialist under whose
guidance I am repairing a system operating on the station," Oleg Novitsky
emphasised.
He added
that wide opportunities and highly engaging tasks are opening up for today’s
generation of young professionals, allowing them to fully realise their
potential. All that is required is confidence in one’s own abilities.
"The main thing is not to be afraid and not to doubt your own strength. The road is mastered by those who walk it, and the selection requirements are quite reasonable – in terms of physical training, psychological condition, education and language skills. All of these requirements are achievable for anyone engaged in activities connected with progress," Hero of the Russian Federation Oleg Novitsky concluded.
The thematic programme series "Platform of the Future: 100 Projects of Russia" is dedicated to the national development goals outlined in Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 309. Another thematic meeting will take place by the end of the year, on 23 December, during which the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, Alexander Kozlov, will present key initiatives covering environmental protection activities. Project presentations at the National Centre RUSSIA are delivered by their leaders and beneficiaries, as well as by those providing support for the implementation of the initiatives.
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