Latest news with #InternationalLunarResearchStation
DW
16-05-2025
- Science
- DW
China and Russia plan to build nuclear power station on moon – DW – 05/16/2025
Planned for 2035, the nuclear reactor would power research and exploration of the moon's south pole as part of the the International Lunar Research Station project. What you need to know: China and Russia plan to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2035 to power a permanent lunar base. The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) will rely on the power plant for its scientific research. The IRLS involves over a dozen international partners and is seen as a rival program to NASA's Artemis Program. China and Russia plan to build an automated nuclear power station on the moon by 2035. A memorandum of cooperation for the project was signed between Russia's space agency Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) this week. The power station will be part of the proposed ILRS lunar base and will provide energy to enable long-term lunar exploration and scientific research. ILRS is seen as a rival to the US-led Artemis program, which plans to build an orbital lunar space station called "Gateway" from 2027. Artemis involves NASA and the space agencies of 55 other countries, including European Space Agency member states. What is the International Lunar Research Station? The ILRS project aims to establish a scientific research base on the moon located within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the lunar south pole. It will feature long-term autonomous operations and short-term human missions. "The station will conduct fundamental space research and test technology for long-term uncrewed operations of the ILRS, with the prospect of a human being's presence on the Moon," Roscosmos said in a statement. Chang'e-6: Is geopolitics harming China-EU lunar mission? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video First announced in 2017, ILRS includes involvement from Pakistan, Venezuela, Belarus, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Egypt, Nicaragua, Thailand, Serbia, Senegal and Kazakhstan. China will also invite 50 countries, 500 international scientific research institutions and 5,000 overseas researchers to join the ILRS as part of its "555 Project," said Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program in a statement last year. While the ILRS aims to be a center of scientific research, the Moon's natural resources are also an enticing prospect for spacefaring nations. The moon holds valuable metal oxides, regolith (lunar soil), rare Earth metals, and potentially significant amounts of helium-3, a potential fuel for nuclear fusion power. The question of who can actually own bits of the moon is hotly debated among legal experts. Will China lead future space exploration? ILRS is part of China's mission to be come a leader in space exploration and scientific research. The first pieces are to be laid by China's Chang'e-8 mission in 2028. This will double as China's first attempt landing an astronaut on the lunar surface. China has been landing unmanned rovers on the moon since 2013 and its scientists have led missions that have mapped the lunar surface, including the 'dark side of the moon', which is the lunar hemisphere that always faces away from Earth. In June 2024, China became the first nation to successfully collect rocks from this hemisphere. The mission was hailed by China, with state news agency Xinhua describing it as "an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history." Edited by: Matthew Ward Agius
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US space chief warns of emerging threats from China and Russia
Surging technologies spearheaded by Chinese and Russian forces represent the greatest threat in space defense, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said Thursday at the POLITICO Security Summit. 'The PRC has developed what we've kind of, you know, tongue in cheek, called a 'kill web,' and it's nothing more than a series of hundreds of satellites that are a sensor network that provide real-time updates, targeting quality information of our force,' Saltzman said, warning that the strategy represents the biggest threat in U.S. adversaries' growing space capabilities. Saltzman emphasized the need to bolster U.S. capacity to disrupt the satellite network, saying it most acutely affects the Indo Pacific region. But China's kill web isn't the only area of concern for the space chief. Saltzman also noted Beijing's 'accelerated ability to put capacity on orbit,' adding that Russia, another major U.S. adversary, is similarly demonstrating strength in that arena. Russia, which is partnering with China to launch a joint lunar exploration project dubbed the International Lunar Research Station, also poses major threats to U.S. space defense, Saltzman said. 'The Russians are demonstrating reckless aggressive behaviors with regards to how they intend to contest the space domain that will have far-reaching impacts beyond any localized military effect,' Saltzman said, outlining three major areas of concern in Russian space technology development. Russia's demonstrated kinetic kill capability, which saw it destroying a satellite and generating massive amounts of orbital debris in 2021 before launching its invasion into Ukraine; its cyber attack against Viasat the day it began its Ukrainian incursion and continued jamming efforts; and its ambition of putting a nuclear weapon on orbit all pose significant threats to security, the space chief said. Saltzman's warnings come as the two U.S. adversaries ramp up their efforts to expand their space capabilities. Just last week, Beijing and the Kremlin signed a deal to build a joint nuclear power plant on the moon to power their planned International Lunar Research Station. The project aims to create a permanent base on the moon by the mid-2030s, in competition with the U.S.-led Artemis moon mission.
Politico
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
US space chief warns of emerging threats from China and Russia
Surging technologies spearheaded by Chinese and Russian forces represent the greatest threat in space defense, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said Thursday at the POLITICO Security Summit. 'The PRC has developed what we've kind of, you know, tongue in cheek, called a 'kill web,' and it's nothing more than a series of hundreds of satellites that are a sensor network that provide real-time updates, targeting quality information of our force,' Saltzman said, warning that the strategy represents the biggest threat in U.S. adversaries' growing space capabilities. Saltzman emphasized the need to bolster U.S. capacity to disrupt the satellite network, saying it most acutely affects the Indo Pacific region. But China's kill web isn't the only area of concern for the space chief. Saltzman also noted Beijing's 'accelerated ability to put capacity on orbit,' adding that Russia, another major U.S. adversary, is similarly demonstrating strength in that arena. Russia, which is partnering with China to launch a joint lunar exploration project dubbed the International Lunar Research Station, also poses major threats to U.S. space defense, Saltzman said. 'The Russians are demonstrating reckless aggressive behaviors with regards to how they intend to contest the space domain that will have far-reaching impacts beyond any localized military effect,' Saltzman said, outlining three major areas of concern in Russian space technology development. Russia's demonstrated kinetic kill capability, which saw it destroying a satellite and generating massive amounts of orbital debris in 2021 before launching its invasion into Ukraine; its cyber attack against Viasat the day it began its Ukrainian incursion and continued jamming efforts; and its ambition of putting a nuclear weapon on orbit all pose significant threats to security, the space chief said. Saltzman's warnings come as the two U.S. adversaries ramp up their efforts to expand their space capabilities. Just last week, Beijing and the Kremlin signed a deal to build a joint nuclear power plant on the moon to power their planned International Lunar Research Station. The project aims to create a permanent base on the moon by the mid-2030s, in competition with the U.S.-led Artemis moon mission.
India.com
14-05-2025
- Science
- India.com
These two nations join hands up to build a nuclear power plant on the moon; not US, UK, France, India, Japan, they are...
(Representational Image/AI-generated) In a major development that could once again trigger a new space race between major world powers, China and Russia have teamed up to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon. According to reports, the revolutionary project, which is expected to be completed by 2036, will power International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), another major undertaking led by the two allies. The announcement comes at a time when US space agency NASA has called for cancellation of its planned orbital station on the Moon in its 2026 budget proposal, while its Artemis program– which aims to send American astronauts back to the moon after nearly five decades– is facing challenges due to delays and budget cuts. Sino-Russian lunar nuclear power plant to power ILRS As per reports, China and Russia recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a permanent human base on the lunar south pole, and build a nuclear power plant that will power the base and the ILRS– a revolutionary project designed for scientific research and long-term unmanned operations, including the possibility of future human presence on the Moon. Yury Borisov, General Director of Russian space agency Roscosmos, said the nuclear plant will be built 'without human presence', hinting at advanced robots carrying out the construction on the lunar surface. Borisov did not provide any details on the technology required for such an endeavor but said the pre-requisites are 'almost ready'. As per details, the construction of the lunar nuclear plant is scheduled to begin between 2030 and 2035, and expected to completed by 2036. The foundation stone for the ILRS will be laid in 2028 with China's Chang'e-8 mission, its first manned mission to the Moon. What is the ILRS mission, and why its a gamechanger? The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), is an ambitious project jointly led by China and Russia, which aims to establish a permanent human-controlled base on the moon's south pole for conducting scientific research. First announced by Moscow and Beijing in June 2021, it now includes as a many as 17 other countries, including Pakistan, Egypt, Venezuela, Thailand and South Africa. The ILRS will be constructed using materials shipped via five super heavy-lift rocket launches from 2030 to 2035, and the station is planned to be expanded by 2050 to include an orbital space station, two nodes on the moon's equator and its far side. The ambitious lunar research station will be powered by solar, radioisotope and nuclear generators, and will feature high-speed communication networks on the Moon-Earth and lunar surface, lunar vehicles and manned rovers. The ILRS aims to provide a major technological footing for humans on the moon for research, long-term unmanned operations, and also aims to serve as a base for manned missions to Mars. China's rapidly expanding space program Notably, China has rapidly developed its space program over the las decade, landing its first lunar rover in the 2013 Chang'e-3 mission. Since then, Beijing has sent several rovers to the moon and Mars, collecting samples from the near and far sides of the moon and mapping the lunar surface. China's Chang'e-8 mission aims to land Chinese astronauts on the moon by 2030, as Beijing looks to cement its place as the undisputed global leader in space research and missions, replacing its rival, the United States.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Lunar laser: China makes 1st daytime laser-ranging measurement from Earth to the moon
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Composite image of the moon created using data gathered by the joint NASA-DoD Clementine mission in 1994. | Credit: NASA China has achieved a milestone feat, making the first-ever laser ranging measurement from Earth to the moon during the daytime. Researchers at Yunnan Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) used an infrared lunar laser ranging system of a recently upgraded 1.2-meter (3.9 feet) telescope to ping a small laser retroreflector on the Tiandu 1 satellite orbiting the moon . Laser ranging over lunar distances is challenging, requiring sending a high-power, precise beam over 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) to hit a small corner retroreflector, which bounces the laser pulse straight back where it came from. The return signal then needs to be picked up by a telescope using ultra-sensitive detectors. Doing this in the daytime brings the added challenge of massive background "noise" from the sun . Scientists have used laser ranging tests to measure the time it takes to get a return signal, allowing them to calculate the lunar distance to high degrees of accuracy. A number of the Apollo crewed landing missions deployed laser retroreflectors on the moon for this purpose. The daytime test is useful in expanding the window for such observations. It could have applications for major deep-space exploration missions, including the China-led International Lunar Research Station ( ILRS ). Related stories: — Are we prepared for Chinese preeminence on the moon and Mars? (op-ed) — NASA's Lunar Retroreflector Network could make landing on the moon much easier — Space Force launching lasers in 2025 to help pinpoint the center of Earth The Tiandu 1 satellite, launched in March 2024, is one of two small Tiandu satellites sent to the moon along with the Queqiao 2 lunar relay satellite, which facilitated communications for the Chang'e 6 lunar farside sample return mission a few months later.
