Russia has announced the key characteristics of the nuclear power plant being developed for the Moon. Details of the project were presented by the president of the National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute," Mikhail Kovalchuk, at a meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences dedicated to the prospects of space research.
The main thing is the size and parameters of the unit. The energy module will be 3.8 meters in diameter and 3.6 meters in height. The design is intended for operation outside the Earth.
The project is being implemented jointly with Rosatom. The state corporation previously stated that the delivery of station elements to the Moon could begin as early as the 2030s.
The minimum power of the unit will be 5 kW. This is enough to provide the basic infrastructure for future lunar missions and scientific facilities.
The weight of the station is about 1300 kg. For space conditions, this is a relatively small weight, which allows deploying autonomous energy systems outside the Earth.
An experimental prototype of the power unit called "Selena" is planned to be created by 2032.
