SHANGHAI: Preliminary plans for the China and Russia-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) include building a nuclear reactor on the moon’s surface, a presentation by a Chinese space official on Wednesday showed.
The presentation by Pei Zhaoyu, chief engineer for China’s 2028 Chang’e-8 mission, showed that the base’s energy supply could also depend on large-scale solar arrays, which would be built on the moon’s surface.
China’s Chang’e-8 mission aims to lay the groundwork for the construction of a permanent manned lunar base. The world’s second largest economy is aiming to become a major space power and land astronauts on the moon by 2030.
China’s timeline to build an outpost on the moon’s south pole coincides with NASA’s more ambitious and advanced Artemis program, which aims to put US astronauts back on the lunar surface in December 2025.
Wu Weiren, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Project, said last year that a “basic model” of the ILRS, with the South Pole of the Moon as its core, would be built by 2035.
The Chang’e lunar probe launches are part of the construction phase for the “basic model” outlined by Wu.
In future, China will create the “555 Project”, inviting 50 countries, 500 international scientific research institutions, and 5,000 overseas researchers to join the ILRS.
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China-led lunar base to include nuclear power plant on moon’s surface, space official
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China-led lunar base to include nuclear power plant on moon’s surface, space official
- The world’s second largest economy is aiming to become a major space power and land astronauts on the moon by 2030
Indonesia targets illegal mining on 190,000 hectares of forest land
JAKARTA: The Indonesian government could potentially seize mining activities across 190,000 hectares (733.59 square miles) of illegally cleared forest, the deputy forestry minister told a parliamentary hearing on Monday, as authorities tackle what they say is unlawful extraction in the resource-rich archipelago. Indonesia’s unprecedented crackdown, which has seen military-led teams take over palm plantations and mines, has unnerved the industry, pushing up global palm oil prices over concerns it will hit output, and more recently, powering rallies in the prices of metals like tin. “There were 191,790 hectares (mines) that do not have forestry use permits, which could be considered illegal,” Deputy Forestry Minister Rohmat Marzuki said. He did not name any of the companies involved or say how many were involved. Neither did he elaborate on what was being mined or provide any timeline for the seizures.
“The forestry task force has already obtained 8,769 hectares and this is still ongoing to reach 191,790 hectares,” he added.
“Along with the forestry task force, the forestry ministry remains committed in obtaining back the forest areas from illegal oil palm plantations and illegal mines,” Marzuki said.
The military-backed forestry task force said last week it had taken over 8,800 hectares of land where nickel, coal, quartz sand and limestone were being mined. It has also seized palm plantations across 4.1 million hectares (10.1 million acres), an area roughly the size of the Netherlands. Indonesia’s Attorney General has assessed potential fines of 109.6 trillion rupiah ($6.47 billion) for palm oil companies and 32.63 trillion rupiah for mining companies, for operations in forest areas.
“The forestry task force has already obtained 8,769 hectares and this is still ongoing to reach 191,790 hectares,” he added.
“Along with the forestry task force, the forestry ministry remains committed in obtaining back the forest areas from illegal oil palm plantations and illegal mines,” Marzuki said.
The military-backed forestry task force said last week it had taken over 8,800 hectares of land where nickel, coal, quartz sand and limestone were being mined. It has also seized palm plantations across 4.1 million hectares (10.1 million acres), an area roughly the size of the Netherlands. Indonesia’s Attorney General has assessed potential fines of 109.6 trillion rupiah ($6.47 billion) for palm oil companies and 32.63 trillion rupiah for mining companies, for operations in forest areas.
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