5 African countries that may join Russia and China in building a nuclear reactor on the moon

Business Insider

29-04-2025

Five African countries have been selected to join the ambitious Russian-Chinese International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project, solidifying Africa's participation in the next frontier of space research.
Five African countries to join Russian-Chinese International Lunar Research Station project.
ILRS expected to be completed by 2035 and serve as a permanent lunar base for scientific study.
China and Africa came together on Africa2Moon project to build lunar radio telescope and quantum communications network.
The statement comes on the heels of Russia's expanding prominence in international space issues, notably due to its enhanced cooperation with China.
During a recent conference of BRICS space agency directors, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Bakanov confirmed the project's momentum: "Our joint initiative with China to create an International Scientific Lunar Station is actively developing."
The ILRS, which is expected to be completed by 2035, is intended to serve as a permanent lunar base for robotic and crewed missions, allowing for long-term scientific study, the use of space resources, and the potential for lunar settlement.
With over 50 nations and hundreds of academics expected to join, the ILRS is viewed as a direct competitor to the United States-led Artemis initiative.
ILRS progress
On April 23, 2025, China, via a presentation, publicly announced the potential of building a nuclear power station on the Moon by 2035 to support the ILRS, highlighting the project's scope and technological ambition.
"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," Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, told Reuters on the sidelines of the conference.
The presentation, given to officials from 17 participating governments and international organizations, was the first public mention of a nuclear reactor in ILRS plans, implying a Russian-Chinese deployment of a lunar nuclear reactor by 2035.
This would offer a consistent, long-term power supply for the station, particularly during the Moon's long nights.
As seen in a report by the Russian newspaper Sputnik, 13 countries are set to participate in the project.
Although not confirmed yet, the 13 countries include 5 African countries as listed below.
Senegal
Egypt
Ethiopia
South Africa
Djibouti
China and Russia's recent space projects with Africa
Under the Africa2Moon project, Africa and China are collaborating on a lunar project intended to build a low-cost, low-mass array of spherical antennas known as BALLS (Bounced African Lunar Low Spheres), which will detect radio frequencies below 10 MHz.
According to Forbes, the Africa2Moon project could launch its first moon mission and lunar radio telescope in April.
Dr. Adriana Marais, Director at the Foundation for Space Development Africa and Head of Science for Africa2Moon, confirmed that the first phase of the project would place four antennas near the lunar south pole.
In March, it was reported that China and South Africa were partnering to build the world's longest quantum communications network, spanning 12,900 kilometers through the border of both countries.
This feat utilized China's Jinan-1 quantum microsatellite in low Earth orbit, the first quantum satellite communication link established in the Southern Hemisphere.
Months prior, in November 2024, Yury Borisov, the head of the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos, revealed that Russia has extended an offer to a few friendly nations to build spaceports on their land.