There's going to be a nuclear power plant on the Moon and it's going to build itself.

Russia and China have signed an agreement to begin construction of a self-contained nuclear power plant on the Moon. Its unique feature is that it will be built without human presence.

The Moon will be home to many people in the coming years. While Earth's satellite has remained untouched by human presence for decades, plans to send astronauts back to its surface are multiplying. And they will be able to do so for quite some time. We know that NASA wants to establish a human colony on the Moon by 2040. But the American organization isn't the only one with ambition. Russia and China have just signed an agreement concerning their future International Lunar Research Station, or IRLS.

The culmination of an idea revealed over a year ago, the "memorandum of cooperation" between the two countries endorses the project of "construction of a lunar power station." Even though the word is not used in the press release, it is indeed a nuclear power plant. Unsurprisingly, it will be used to power the research station, which is scheduled for completion in 2036. The building, however, has a special feature: it will be built without human intervention.

The future nuclear power plant on the Moon will be built without human intervention

In an interview with TASS in 2024, Yuri Borisov, director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, stated that the construction of the lunar nuclear power plant would be done autonomously. However, he did not detail the technical means that would be implemented for this, simply saying that they would soon be ready. We don't know any more today despite the officialization of the agreement. However, we can imagine a remotely controlled 3D printing system for example, at least for the main structure.

Roscosmos recalled that "the station will conduct fundamental space research and test technology for long-term unmanned operations of the ILRS, with a view to a human presence on the Moon." Currently, 17 countries are participating in its construction. China will be responsible for the foundations during its Chang'e-8 mission in 2028. On this occasion, taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) will set foot on the Moon for the first time.