Russia to Have Permanent Moonbase by 2020

Russia is planning to mine a rare fuel on the Moon by 2020, with a permanent base and a heavy cargo transport link, a Russian space official an-nounced Wednesday. If these plans come to fruition, they will put Russia ahead of the U.S. in colonizing and developing the Moon.

Russia's Energia aerospace corporation is currently doing research on a project to mine Helium-3, a potential fuel for future nuclear reactors, on the Moon and bring it to the Earth. The study should be ready before 2010, Energia President Nikolai Sevastyanov said .