Latest news with #555Project
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Science
- Daily Mirror
China confirms bombshell plan to build nuclear base on MOON – and Vladimir Putin's involved too
China has unveiled a bombshell new plan to join forces with Russia and build a nuclear plant on the moon which will power a research station. It comes as the East Asian country today launched three astronauts into space to replace the crew on its Tiangong space station. In a bid to become a major space power - and land astronauts on the moon by 2030 - China 's new Chang'e-8 mission will aim to test resource technologies at the moon 's south pole and build a lunar base, specifically the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The mission, scheduled to launch around 2028, is also set to explore 3D printing with lunar soil and the use of a robotic arm and potentially a humanoid robot sent up to the moon to explore its surface. Chang'e-8's Chief Engineer Pei Zhaoyu revealed in a presentation in Shanghai on Wednesday that the lunar base 's energy supply could depend on large-scale solar arrays, as well as pipelines and cables for heating and electricity built on the moon's surface. Lat year, Russia's space agency Roscosmos said it planned to build a nuclear reactor on the moon's surface with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) by 2035 to power the ILRS. Although it is yet to be formally announced, the inclusion of the nuclear power unit at the conference, held for officials from the 17 countries and international organisations that make up the ILRS, Beijing appears to support the idea. Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, told Reuters: "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." After little progress on talks over a space-based reactor in the past, "I hope this time both countries can send a nuclear reactor to the moon," Wu said. China's timeline to build an outpost on the moon's south pole coincides with NASA's Artemis programme, which aims to put US astronauts back on the moon in December 2025. Wu said last year that a "basic model" of the lunar research station, centred around the moon's south pole, would be built by 2035. Going forward, China will create the "555 Project," inviting 50 countries, 500 international scientific research institutions, and 5,000 overseas researchers to join the ILRS. Researchers from Roscosmos also shared more exciting details about plans to look for mineral and water resources at the conference in Shanghai, including possibly using lunar material as fuel. The ILRS preceded Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but incentives for cooperation between Roscosmos and CNSA have increased since the outbreak of the war, according to Chinese analysts. With China's rapid technological advances and lunar achievements, and as Western sanctions prevent Roscosmos from many imports of space technology and equipment, China can now "alleviate the pressure" on Russia and help it "achieve new breakthroughs in satellite launches, lunar exploration, and space stations," Liu Ying, a researcher at the Chinese foreign ministry's diplomatic academy, wrote in a journal article last year.
India Today
24-04-2025
- Science
- India Today
China, Russia planning to build nuclear plant on the Moon to power lunar station
China and Russia are planning to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon to power their joint lunar research International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), being planned jointly by China and Russia, will need power that will have to be produced alternatively on the Moon to ensure the smooth and long-term functioning of the research aims to become a major space power and land astronauts on the moon by 2030, and its planned Chang'e-8 mission for 2028 would lay the groundwork for constructing a permanent, manned lunar "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 lunar base's energy supply could also depend on large-scale solar arrays, and pipelines and cables for heating and electricity built on the moon's space agency Roscosmos said last year it planned to build a nuclear reactor on the moon's surface with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) by 2035 to power the inclusion of the nuclear power unit in a Chinese space official's presentation at a conference for officials from the 17 countries and international organisations that make up the ILRS suggests Beijing supports the idea, although it has never formally announced it. Beijing supports the idea, although it has never formally announced it. (Photo: AFP) advertisementThe latest announcement comes even as Nasa struggles to get Artemis mission timeline sorted amid a new push to go to Mars under the new Trump administration backed by SpaceX chief Elon timeline to build an outpost on the moon's south pole coincides with NASA's more ambitious and advanced Artemis programme, which aims to put U.S. astronauts back on the lunar surface in December said last year that a "basic model" of the ILRS, with the Moon's south pole as its core, would be built by 2035. In the future, China will create the "555 Project," inviting 50 countries, 500 international scientific research institutions, and 5,000 overseas researchers to join the from Roscosmos also presented at the conference in Shanghai, sharing details about plans to look for mineral and water resources, including possibly using lunar material as fuel.
Daily Mail
23-04-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
China confirms its plans to build a nuclear plant on the MOON to power the research station it's 'dreaming up' with Russia
China is considering building a nuclear plant on the moon to power the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) it is planning with Russia, a presentation by a senior official showed on Wednesday. China aims to become a major space power and land astronauts on the moon by 2030, and its planned Chang'e-8 mission for 2028 would lay the groundwork for constructing a permanent, manned lunar base. In a presentation in Shanghai, the 2028 mission's Chief Engineer Pei Zhaoyu showed that the lunar base's energy supply could also depend on large-scale solar arrays, and pipelines and cables for heating and electricity built on the moon's surface. Russia's space agency Roscosmos said last year it planned to build a nuclear reactor on the moon's surface with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) by 2035 to power the ILRS. The inclusion of the nuclear power unit in a Chinese space official's presentation at a conference for officials from the 17 countries and international organisations that make up the ILRS suggests Beijing supports the idea, although it has never formally announced it. '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. After little progress on talks over a space-based reactor in the past, 'I hope this time both countries can send a nuclear reactor to the moon,' Wu said. China's timeline to build an outpost on the moon's south pole coincides with NASA's more ambitious and advanced Artemis programme, which aims to put U.S. astronauts back on the lunar surface in December 2025. Wu said last year that a 'basic model' of the ILRS, with the Moon's south pole as its core, would be built by 2035. In the future, China will create the '555 Project,' inviting 50 countries, 500 international scientific research institutions, and 5,000 overseas researchers to join the ILRS. Researchers from Roscosmos also presented at the conference in Shanghai, sharing details about plans to look for mineral and water resources, including possibly using lunar material as fuel. The ILRS preceded Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but incentives for cooperation between Roscosmos and CNSA have increased since the outbreak of the war, according to Chinese analysts. With China's rapid technological advances and lunar achievements, and as Western sanctions prevent Roscosmos from many imports of space technology and equipment, China can now 'alleviate the pressure' on Russia and help it 'achieve new breakthroughs in satellite launches, lunar exploration, and space stations,' Liu Ying, a researcher at the Chinese foreign ministry's diplomatic academy, wrote in a journal article last year.
Asharq Al-Awsat
23-04-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
China, Russia May Build Nuclear Plant on Moon to Power Lunar Station, Official Says
China is considering building a nuclear plant on the moon to power the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) it is planning with Russia, a presentation by a senior official showed on Wednesday. China aims to become a major space power and land astronauts on the moon by 2030, and its planned Chang'e-8 mission for 2028 would lay the groundwork for constructing a permanent, manned lunar base. In a presentation in Shanghai, the 2028 mission's Chief Engineer Pei Zhaoyu showed that the lunar base's energy supply could also depend on large-scale solar arrays, and pipelines and cables for heating and electricity built on the moon's surface. Russia's space agency Roscosmos said last year it planned to build a nuclear reactor on the moon's surface with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) by 2035 to power the ILRS, Reuters reported. The inclusion of the nuclear power unit in a Chinese space official's presentation at a conference for officials from the 17 countries and international organizations that make up the ILRS suggests Beijing supports the idea, although it has never formally announced it. "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. After little progress on talks over a space-based reactor in the past, "I hope this time both countries can send a nuclear reactor to the moon," Wu said. China's timeline to build an outpost on the moon's south pole coincides with NASA's more ambitious and advanced Artemis programme, which aims to put US astronauts back on the lunar surface in December 2025. Wu said last year that a "basic model" of the ILRS, with the Moon's south pole as its core, would be built by 2035. In the future, China will create the "555 Project," inviting 50 countries, 500 international scientific research institutions, and 5,000 overseas researchers to join the ILRS. Researchers from Roscosmos also presented at the conference in Shanghai, sharing details about plans to look for mineral and water resources, including possibly using lunar material as fuel. The ILRS preceded Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but incentives for cooperation between Roscosmos and CNSA have increased since the outbreak of the war, according to Chinese analysts. With China's rapid technological advances and lunar achievements, and as Western sanctions prevent Roscosmos from many imports of space technology and equipment, China can now "alleviate the pressure" on Russia and help it "achieve new breakthroughs in satellite launches, lunar exploration, and space stations," Liu Ying, a researcher at the Chinese foreign ministry's diplomatic academy, wrote in a journal article last year.
