India is likely to team up with Russia for the "Lunar Nuclear Power Plant Project" on the moon, according to media reports. The mission may also include arch-rival China. The reports are based on recent remarks made by Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation chief at the Eastern Economic Forum. During the event, Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev was quoted as saying that Chinese and Indian partners "are very interested" in this Lunar Nuclear Power Plant Project.

The report, first carried by Russia’s state-owned news agency Tass, was later taken by EurAsian Times.

Recently in Vladivostok, Likhachev in an interview with Eastern Economic Forum said “… with the involvement of the international community, our Chinese and Indian partners are very interested in this.”

India is planning for a manned mission to the moon by 2040 and its own space station with the first part of the project expected to be complete by 2028, S Somanath, ISRO Chairman said in June while speaking to NDTV. The proposed lunar project in the construction of a small nuclear power plant with capacity to produce in the region of 0.5 megawatt is proposed for the moon base as reported by TASS. Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev noted that China and India are ‘interested’ in working with Roscosmos on this pathfindering lunar power project.

Lunar Nuclear Power Plant Project
Image Source: Interesting Engineering

It is reported that the nuclear power plant is to be used to generate power to a planned moon base, which is a bilateral plan by Russia and China. To be called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), the base started to be planned as a series of phases and will require up to 2035-2045 for completion. The construction of the nuclear power plant on the moon may require no input from any human being and may have to be built through Robots.

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