Russia and China announce plan to build shared nuclear reactor on the moon by 2035, 'without humans'

An illustration showing three astronauts roaming around the moon. One is coming closer to the camera. There's a moon base in the background as well as a red flag. The sky is dark and starry.

Russia's space agency Roscosmos has announced plans to work with China to build an automated nuclear reactor on the moon by 2035. The proposed reactor will help power a proposed lunar base that the two countries will jointly operate.  

Back in 2021, Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) revealed that they intended to build a shared base on the moon, named the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which they claimed at the time would be "open to all interested countries and international partners."