any contaminated area would be “extremely localised” if there were to be a similar accident on the moon
The United States, Russia and China are engaged in a new space race, with each country aiming to build nuclear reactors on the moon. According to the Al Jazeera report, NASA plans to develop a nuclear reactor on the moon by the end of 2030, while Russia, working with China, aims to do the same by 2036.
The reactors will be needed to power mining of frozen water trapped deep in the moon’s craters, which scientists believe could supply drinking water, air, and rocket fuel for future bases. The reactors would also provide power for lunar bases. The US said NASA’s Lunar Reactor 1 would produce 20 kilowatts of electricity, creating enough power to run on its own for five years without maintenance.
Russia is also building a nuclear reactor, which is expected to produce 10 kilowatts. The reactor, called Selena, will be able to run for a decade without maintenance. It will be ready to power a Chinese-led moon base by about 2036. Simon Middleburgh, director of Bangor University’s Nuclear Futures Institute, told Al Jazeera that solar power is too limited to provide the steady flow of energy a moon base would need, while batteries and diesel are too costly.
The race to the moon also comes amid growing military competition beyond Earth. In September, the US announced it had deployed weapons into orbit, which officials said would be used to defend US forces. While the US did not provide details about these “weapons”, experts say they are likely to be space-based communications jammers, rather than kinetic ones that launch strikes. The announcement raised concerns about the concept of “space weapons” or the use of space for military purposes, including the potential targeting of satellites that provide GPS, communications and intelligence.
Analysts warn about the possible risk of a radioactive mishap, citing the example of a Soviet satellite carrying a reactor, Kosmos 954, which scattered radioactive material across nearly 124,300 square km of northern Canada in 1978. However, Middleburgh says that any contaminated area would be “extremely localised” if there were to be a similar accident on the moon.
