ST PETERSBURG – Russia may develop a on the Moon within the next five to seven years, Mikhail Kovalchuk, president of Russia’s Kurchatov Institute, said on Thursday.
Kovalchuk made the remarks while attending a meeting of the government of the Leningrad region to discuss issues of scientific and technological leadership. During his presentation, he outlined potential designs for nuclear power stations intended for lunar deployment.
Earlier on Thursday, Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said the planned lunar nuclear power station would have a capacity of at least 5 kW and an operational lifespan of up to 10 years.
According to Likhachev, Rosatom is currently working with the Kurchatov Institute and the state space corporation Roscosmos to design the facility.
Vasily Marfin, CEO of Russian developer and manufacturer of unmanned interplanetary probes NPO Lavochkin, has said that the nuclear power plant will be assembled on the Moon between 2033 and 2035. Three lunar power stations will be transported to the Moon for this purpose, he said.