Russia’s space agency Roscosmos is moving forward with plans to build a nuclear power station on the Moon, part of a broader lunar program conducted jointly with China and other partners, according to statements from Russian officials this week.

Nuclear power station delivery in three stages

Pavel Kazmerchuk, chief designer of the lunar program at NPO Lavochkin (a Roscosmos subsidiary), said the delivery and commissioning of the lunar nuclear power station would occur in three stages, each involving a separate rocket launch, as reported by the Russian state news agency TASS on April 8.

According to Kazmerchuk, speaking on the Vesti TV program, the first launch using an Angara-A5M rocket with a D-M upper stage would deliver a lunar service rover and specialized equipment. The second launch would deliver the main lunar service rover and a charging and distribution station. The third launch would deliver the nuclear power plant itself, after which the rover would connect the plant to the charging station via cable, enabling operations. The rover would also connect other systems that land in the lunar area.

Earlier reports indicated that Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) signed a memorandum in May 2025 on building a power plant for the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). Roscosmos said the station would conduct fundamental space research and evaluate technologies for long-term unmanned operation, with the prospect of human presence on the Moon.

Joint development of small reactor

Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Bakanov said in an interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov during Space Week 2026 that his agency, along with the Kurchatov Institute and state nuclear corporation Rosatom, is developing a small reactor for deployment on the Moon’s surface.

“We are implementing this project with the Kurchatov Institute, with Mikhail Valentinovich Kovalchuk, Rosatom, and Rosatom’s entities,” Bakanov said. He acknowledged that not all issues had been resolved but noted a specific schedule exists, adding that the technologies already exist, though they may not be fully mature for a lunar launch today.

This development was reported by TASS on April 7.

Moon as a testing ground for Mars

In the same interview, Bakanov said that technologies for developing infrastructure on Mars and other planets would most likely be trialed on the Moon, the closest celestial body to Earth.

“Further on, as you know, there is a trend toward multiplanetary exploration, and it will be necessary to build infrastructure on other celestial bodies,” he said. “Of course, there is much discussion online about Mars and more distant planets. But in any case, most likely, all technologies will first have to be tested on the nearest one, the Moon.”

Approval of Russian ILRS segment

In early April, Bakanov announced that the Russian Academy of Sciences had approved the concept for creating a Russian segment of the International Lunar Research Station jointly with China, according to TASS reports from April 1.

Speaking at a Federation Council meeting, Bakanov said the ILRS project with China was developing and the concept had been approved. He also said activities related to the lunar program would be carried out by Russia together with China and 13 additional countries.

The May 2025 memorandum between Roscosmos and CNSA on the power plant was a key step in this cooperation. Roscosmos previously stated that the station would conduct fundamental research and test technologies for long-term unmanned operation, with the possibility of future human presence.

Nuclear rocket engine research to resume

Denis Kutovoy, deputy director of Roscosmos’s space systems department, said at the Russian Space Forum on April 9 that Russia plans to implement a project to resume nuclear rocket engine research, together with the Kurchatov Institute and Rosatom organizations, as reported by TASS.

Kutovoy’s remarks complemented a statement by Mikhail Kovalchuk, president of the Kurchatov Institute, who said on April 7 that the design concept for a nuclear rocket engine for lunar flights and deep space missions would be completed in 2026. According to a slide in Kovalchuk’s presentation, advanced experimental design work is planned for 2028-2032.

Context: Space Week 2026

These announcements came during the first-ever Russian Space Week, held April 6-12, 2026, marking the 65th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic flight. The event, established by a presidential decree on December 29, 2025, is organized by Roscosmos. TASS serves as an information partner.

The Russian Space Forum, held April 9 at the National Center RUSSIA, brought together delegations from 40 countries, with 13 sessions across five thematic blocks and a plenary session titled “Space Agenda 2030+: Global Challenges and National Strategies.”