Roscosmos plans to begin assembling a nuclear power plant on the surface of the Moon in 2032. This was announced on the "Listening!" radio channel on Radio Russia by Igor Marinin, a member of the Public Council of the Roscosmos State Corporation.
The installation will become a source of electricity for the future International Scientific Lunar Station, which is being built jointly by Russia, China, and about thirteen other countries.
The choice in favor of a nuclear energy source is due to the location of the station — in the lunar pole region. There, the level of illumination is too low for the stable operation of solar panels, especially when it comes to the industrial processing of regolith and the extraction of valuable resources from it. The nuclear installation will provide continuous power supply regardless of the time of lunar day and season.
According to Marinin, the first stage of creating the lunar base will take place with the participation of automated robotic systems. The station will operate in autonomous mode, but crews will periodically arrive to adjust equipment and conduct experiments.
