China and Russia have proposed building a nuclear power plant on the moon, with the goal of completing the project by 2035 and then supporting the establishment of a lunar habitat.
“Russia has the most mature space program in the world and has achieved many firsts: launched the first artificial satellite into space (Sputnik); [vessel] To the Moon; “They are the first men, women and dogs to go into space,” Rebecca Koffler told FOX News Digital. [which] They shared some of that know-how with China. ”
“Russia and China want to show off the United States by putting nuclear reactors on the moon first,” Koffler said. “Whoever gets it first will set the terms of the argument for latecomers. That’s a strategic threat.”
Yuri Borisov, head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, said on Tuesday that Russia and China are working together to consider the project and determine its feasibility. Russia contributed its expertise in “nuclear space energy” to the discussions.
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Speaking at a youth event, Borisov said: “We are currently seriously considering a project with our Chinese colleagues to deliver and install a power plant on the lunar surface sometime between 2033 and 2035. “There is,” he said.
“This is a very serious challenge… it should be carried out in automatic mode without human presence,” he added.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend the presentation of the Haval F7 SUV produced at the Haval Automobile Plant in Russia’s Tula region at the Moscow Kremlin on June 5, 2019. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool, via Reuters)
Borisov argued that other energy sources, such as sunlight, cannot provide enough electricity to power future lunar settlements, but nuclear power can.
Commercial and political interest in the Moon continues to grow as further technological developments bring what many once thought was a novelty closer to reality.
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“Russia adheres to the principle of controlled space, which means denying the United States access to space in times of war and seeking to maintain its own access,” Koffler explained. “Does this doctrine extend to the moon? Probably so.”
“Moon exploration is an integral part of Russia’s space policy and strategy and is a top priority for President Putin,” Kofler said. “President Putin is monitoring Russia’s space program very closely because it has myriad implications for civilian and military innovation.”
A Soyuz 2.1b rocket booster with a Fregat upper stage carrying the Russian Meteor-M spacecraft and 18 Russian and additional foreign small satellites arrives on the launch pad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region of Russia’s far east on February 29. It will be launched from. , 2024. (Distributed via Roscosmos/Reuters)
“This is also a serious prestige issue for Russia, which considers itself a great power,” she added.
According to international space law, no country can claim sovereignty over the moon or any other part of outer space. A 1966 treaty enacted in response to the space race states that nations cannot claim property rights in space, but states may ignore these laws and norms to achieve their goals. Some people are concerned that there is.
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“No sovereign nation is supposed to fly that flag,” Defense Intelligence Agency Director of Space and Counterspace John Foose told Fox News Chief Political Anchor and Special Reports Editor Bret Baier. Told.
“But we have also seen China build islands in the South China Sea and claim no-go zones around them,” Hughes said. “So these are things we definitely want to focus on.”
On November 6, 2018, a model of the lunar lander for China’s Chang’e 4 lunar probe was exhibited at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (Zhuhai Air Show) held in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China. (Wang Xu/China Space News, via Reuters)
The moon represents a possible source of minerals. The Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972 brought back to Earth 800 pounds of lunar samples containing traces of rare earth metals. It contains critical components for building computer chips and increasingly important technology for everything else. From smartphones to military weapons.
Scientists remain skeptical that there are large amounts of minerals on the moon’s surface, but acknowledge that their physical presence on the moon is the only way to determine its true geological makeup. It emphasizes the value of winning the race to build a space base before rival nations.
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“One of the first things we do when we set up a moon base, whether it’s us or the Chinese, is to really assess what’s going to be there,” Hughes said. “We’ve completed the remote sensing part. Like the Chinese, we’ve brought back material from the moon. So one of the first things is, let’s build a self-sustaining lunar base. It is to do so.”
While the United States remains the only country to have landed humans on the moon, China last month announced plans to land Chinese astronauts on the moon by 2030.
Director of the Roscosmos Space Enterprise Yuri Borisov announced the meeting of the State Commission ahead of the planned launch of the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft to the International Space Station from the Russian-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 14, 2023. Attend meetings. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool, via Reuters)
Russia’s nuclear space expertise reportedly includes non-operational space-based weapons that could use nuclear energy to disable other satellites, but last month it Russian President Vladimir Putin denied this after reports appeared suggesting its existence.
“Our position is very clear and transparent. We have always been and continue to be firmly opposed to the deployment of nuclear weapons in space,” Putin said. “Quite the contrary, we are asking everyone to abide by all agreements that exist in this area.”
In a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin pointed out that Russia is only developing space capabilities that “other countries, including the United States,” have.
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“We are not deploying any nuclear weapons or any elements of them in space for use against satellites or to create fields in which satellites cannot function effectively,” Shoigu said, adding that instead the U.S. claimed that he had made the suspicions about weapons public for the following purposes: Increase Congressional support for support for Ukraine.
The U.S. Space Force did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time of publication.
Bret Baier of Fox News, Amy Munneke of Fox News Digital, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
