New Delhi: The Russian National Space Agency, Roscosmos is organising the first ever Russian Space Week between 6 and 12 April, 2026, to mark the 65th anniversary of Yury Gagarin’s spaceflight in 1961, which was the first time any human had visited space. A number of details were revealed on the nuclear power plant that Russia is building for the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), the Moon base being built by China with Russia as a major partner. The head of the State Atomic Energy Corporation of Russia, Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev had earlier hinted at such plans at the Eastern Economic Forum in September 2024, with Russia formally signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) in May 2025.
According to the Russian State News Agency TASS, the nuclear power plant will be 3.6 metres high and 3.8 metres wide. ROSATOM plans to begin moving components of lunar nuclear power plants in the 2030s. The capacity of the power plant will be at least 5 kW, with a prototype being build in 2032. The mass of the installation will be about 1,300 kg. The nuclear power plant will be based on new materials that are resistant to radiation. The nuclear power plant will be named Selena.
Nuclear Power Station to be constructed in three phases
The nuclear power station will be assembled in three stages, each requiring a rocket launch of the Angara A5-M rocket. The first will deliver a lunar service rover and specialised equipment, followed by the main lunar service rover along with a charging and distribution centre, and the third for delivering the nuclear power plant, that will use a cable to connect to the charging and distribution cable. The rover will be capable of connecting to other hardware that lands in the area. Russian scientists have proposed building low-powered nuclear power plants that can provide electricity reliably for 10 years, through the 14-Earth day long lunar nights.