JAKARTA – China has unveiled plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon to supply energy for its International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a lunar research facility owned and led by China. The announcement was made by senior Chinese officials yesterday.

According to The Straits Times on Thursday (24/4), the nuclear reactor project aligns with China’s goal to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030. Additionally, under the Chang’e-8 mission scheduled for 2028, China plans to construct a permanent manned base on the lunar surface.

Pei Zhaoyu, Chief Engineer of the 2028 mission, said that the Moon base’s energy supply could also rely on a large-scale array and a network of pipelines and electric heating cables built across the lunar surface.

Last year, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos announced plans to jointly develop a nuclear reactor on the Moon with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) by 2035, intended to power the ILRS. (LK/ZH)