China is considering building a nuclear power plant on the Moon to power the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a joint project with Russia.
The plan was presented Wednesday by Pei Zhaoyu, chief engineer of China’s Chang’e-8 mission, during a space conference in Shanghai.
According to the presentation, the ILRS will utilize a hybrid energy system consisting of expansive solar arrays and a nuclear reactor installed on the Moon’s surface.
BREAKING: China has confirmed plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon to supply energy for the research station it’s envisioning in partnership with Russia. pic.twitter.com/TuMpXTcrkb
— The General (@GeneralMCNews) April 24, 2025
The nuclear reactor is intended to provide consistent, long-duration power, especially vital during the Moon’s harsh two-week-long nights when solar energy is not available.
Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, announced in 2024 that it plans to work with China to build a Moon-based nuclear reactor by 2035. China has not officially confirmed this plan.
Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, highlighted the critical role of energy for the ILRS during an interview with Reuters at the conference. “An important question for the ILRS is power supply, and in this Russia has a natural advantage, when it comes to nuclear power plants, especially sending them into space, it leads the world, it is ahead of the United States,” he said.
The ILRS is envisioned as a scalable, autonomous lunar base designed to support a broad array of scientific and technological missions.
The project will be developed in phases, with a basic version targeted for completion by 2035 and further expansion planned by 2050.
