Russia is ready to provide American entrepreneur Elon Musk with a small nuclear power plant for his ambitious mission to Mars, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and special presidential representative for international cooperation, said in an interview with Reuters on March 28, 2025. According to Dmitriev, Moscow sees this as an opportunity not only to support SpaceX's plans, but also to demonstrate its advanced technologies that could be useful for space exploration.

"Russia has unique developments, including compact nuclear power plants, which could be an important contribution to the mission to Mars," — the special representative noted, emphasizing that such technologies are capable of providing energy for future Martian expeditions.

He added that Roscosmos and Rosatom are ready for dialogue with Musk, whose company has repeatedly stated its intention to colonize the Red Planet. The proposal was made against the backdrop of Russia's intensifying space programs, including a joint project with China to install a nuclear power plant on the Moon, which former Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov spoke about a year ago.

The idea of ​​collaborating with Musk is not new. Back in March 2024, Dmitriev mentioned the interest of Russian corporations in working together with SpaceX, pointing to the potential for participation in Mars projects. At that time, he hinted at imminent negotiations, but no concrete steps followed. The current statement has become more specific, although Musk himself has not yet commented on the initiative. This is noteworthy, given that the United States also has modular nuclear reactor technologies developed by NASA and the Department of Energy for space missions.

Russia’s proposal fits into the context of its efforts to strengthen its position in the space industry. The lunar nuclear power plant project, planned for 2033-2035 in collaboration with China, demonstrates Moscow’s ambitions to create autonomous power sources for off-world bases. The small reactors Dmitriev refers to are based on Rosatom technology already used in the Arctic on floating stations. Adapting them for Mars would be a technological breakthrough, especially for missions that require reliable power supply in the absence of sunlight.

However, the initiative raises questions about its feasibility in the context of current geopolitical tensions.