The Russian lunar program has defined a phased plan for creating a nuclear power plant on the surface of the Moon. It includes the delivery of equipment, the deployment of infrastructure, and the subsequent launch of the station using lunar rovers. The details were revealed by Pavel Kazmerchuk, chief designer of the lunar program at NPO Lavochkin.
The project is divided into three stages. First, the Angara-A5M rocket with the DM booster will deliver a service lunar rover and special equipment to the Moon. Then, a regular service lunar rover and a charging and distribution station will be sent there. And only in the third stage will the nuclear power plant itself be brought to the surface of the Moon.
After landing, the lunar rover will have to connect the unit with a cable to the charging and distribution station. From that moment, the system will start working. In the future, the same lunar rover will be used to connect new objects that will appear near the station.
This approach fits into a larger plan — the development of Russian infrastructure on the Moon. It is expected that it will be enshrined in the strategy for the exploration of the Moon until 2060. As Anatoly Petrukovich, director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted earlier, the document will become the key basis for the entire future lunar program.
Roscosmos also emphasized that lunar energy is needed not only for individual missions, but also for the long-term autonomous operation of infrastructure on the Moon — including for the International Lunar Station.