Russia resets lunar nuclear programme

At the recent 50th Academic Readings on Cosmonautics held at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University in Bauman, the heads of key enterprises and scientific institutes discussed Russia’s lunar plans, outlining strategic directions for the development of Russian cosmonautics.

Vasily Marfin, director-general of the Lavochkin Scientific Research Institute, a subsidiary of Roscosmos state corporation, listed the institute’s past achievements before discussing the lunar programme, which he described as “very ambitious and very intense”. He said: “We can’t miss,” referring to the 2023 Luna-25 mission, Russia’s first lunar attempt in nearly 50 years, which ended in failure when the spacecraft crashed into the Moon’s surface due the failure of a control unit. This was supposed to be followed by Luna-26 in 2026.

However, the programme has now been officially rescheduled to prioritise the Luna 26 orbiter for 2028, which will identify landing sites for Luna 27. This will involve two missions – Luna-27A, which will be sent to the South Pole of the Moon, in 2029 and Luna-27B, which will be sent to the north pole in 2030. The first two vehicles, according to Marfin, are already undergoing various tests; Luna-26 is being manufactured and work on Luna-27 is beginning. Luna-28, scheduled for 2034, will collect lunar soil and bring it back for study.

Marfin said Luna-30 was the most complex programme, which should also be launched in the 2030s, and overlaps with the Space Atom federal programme in terms of scientific and technical work, and involves establishing a small nuclear power plant (NPP) on the moon. The project involves the gradual development of the lunar surface. Thus, an experimental spacecraft is set to be launched in 2033, followed by an infrastructure mission in 2034. The final stage will be the delivery and installation of the energy module in 2035.

“This is probably perhaps the most difficult work now, with a high degree of uncertainty and low levels of technological and technical readiness,” he said. The small Elena NPP is the basis for the reactor design (Selena) being developed by the Kurchatov Institute and Rosatom for use on the Moon. Marfin noted that it would require a super-heavy energy carrier capable of launching 100t of cargo into low-Earth orbit.

While Roscosmos director Dmitry Baranov told the meeting earlier that the corporation has no current plans to develop such a rocket, Marfin said China was developing a super-heavy launch vehicle for the project.

The contract for the creation of a lunar power plant was signed between Roscosmos and NPO Lavochkin in December 2025. The project involves the development of spacecraft, ground testing and deployment of the necessary infrastructure. The main functions of the power plant will be long-term energy supply to personnel of the Russian lunar programme, as well as infrastructure facilities of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), including facilities of foreign partners.

The project is being implemented in cooperation with China, with which relevant memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and cooperation have already been signed. In March 2021, Russia and China signed an intergovernmental MoU and cooperation for development of the moon base, followed by development of a road map involving five joint missions to place modules in orbit and on the surface of the Moon. In May 2025, Roscosmos and the Chinese National Space Administration signed a memorandum of cooperation for development of a lunar power plant.

According the NPO Lavochkin website, the lunar station project includes a series of expeditions aimed at delivery of the following payload to the Moon orbit and to its surface: energy modules; a lunar repeater satellite; a lunar research satellite; a Mobile Research Laboratory Ascent rocket; robotic mobile modules (assembly, repair, etc.); stationary scientific and technological modules; and a telecommunication module.

The following four types of technical equipment are proposed for the Moon base construction: base vehicles aimed at the Earth-Moon, Moon-Earth and Moon surface transportations; artificial Moon satellites; lunar service modules; and scientific and process modules.

NPO Lavochkin is a key enterprise within the Roscosmos state corporation. Roscosmos oversees its Board of Directors and manages executive appointments. As a contracting authority, Roscosmos signs major state agreements with Lavochkin to execute the Federal Space Programme. Lavochkin is Roscosmos’ primary specialist for deep space exploration. The relationship is deeply integrated; many senior Roscosmos officials rose through the ranks at NPO Lavochkin.

Lavochkin was founded in 1937 as OKB-301 and was a leading Soviet fighter aircraft design bureau during the Second World War. The association celebrated its 85th anniversary in June 2022. It now specialises in the design, development and manufacture of unmanned spacecraft for deep space exploration, interplanetary probes, upper stages and astrophysical observatories.

The Luna-25 lander was developed by Lavochkin, which is currently developing the Luna-26 and Luna-27 vehicles. Luna-26 is a polar orbiter designed to map the Moon’s surface in high resolution, locate natural resources (like water ice) and study the lunar environment. It will also act as a crucial telecommunications relay for future landing missions.

The ILRS was launched as a direct rival to Nasa’s Artemis programme and aims to establish a permanent, autonomous base near the Moon’s south pole by 2036. The station is intended to provide continuous energy during the 14-day lunar nights, supporting both Russian and Chinese facilities.

The ILRS is being built in three distinct phases:

Reconnaissance (Present–2026): Robotic missions like China’s Chang’e-7 (2026) and Russia’s Luna 26 (2027/28) scout for optimal landing sites and water ice.

Construction (2026–2035): Massive cargo deliveries will establish a “basic model” of the station. This includes a command centre, energy systems and telecommunications.

Operation (2036+): The base becomes fully operational for multidisciplinary research and potential crewed occupancy.

While led by China (CNSA) and Russia (Roscosmos), the project has expanded into a global coalition with 13–17 partner nations including Egypt, South Africa, Pakistan, Thailand and Venezuela. China is reportedly aiming to attract up to 50 international partners to the initiative.

The NPP for the ILRS is based on Elena-AM, a compact, maintenance-free small modular reactor originally designed by the Kurchatov Institute and Rosatom for autonomous power generation in extreme terrestrial environments such as the Arctic. In its terrestrial form, it has a generating capacity of approximately 68 kilowatts-electrical and can provide both electricity and district heating (cogeneration) for small, remote settlements.

The concept dates back to the early 1990s but was stalled due to economic difficulties. The project was revived for deployment in Russia’s Yakutia region (Siberia) to support remote towns and mining operations before being integrated into the Russian space energy development programme. While the terrestrial Elena is water-cooled, the space-adapted Selena version will probably use a lead-bismuth alloy to prevent boiling and pressure buildup in a vacuum.

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