Russia plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon

The Chronify

December 24, 2025

Russia is planning to establish a nuclear power plant on the Moon in the coming decade. The facility would supply electricity to Russia’s lunar space program and a joint Russia–China research base.

In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space. Since then, Russia established itself as a leading nation in space exploration. However, in recent decades, Moscow has fallen behind the United States and China.

In August 2023, Russia’s lunar program suffered a major setback when its unmanned Luna-25 mission crashed onto the Moon’s surface while attempting to land.

Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos said in a statement that it plans to build a power plant on the Moon by 2036. To this end, an agreement has been signed with the Lavochkin Association.

Roscosmos said the purpose of the plant is to supply electricity to Russia’s lunar program, describing it as an important step.

While Roscosmos did not explicitly state that the plant would be nuclear, it noted that participants in the project include Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom and the country’s leading nuclear research body, the Kurchatov Institute.

Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov said in June that one of the corporation’s key goals is to establish a nuclear power plant on the Moon.