Within Five Years: U.S. Plans to Deploy Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
NASA pushes forward with lunar nuclear power project amid global space race and national security concerns.
NASA is accelerating plans to build the first-ever nuclear reactor on the Moon as part of a broader effort to support permanent human presence on the lunar surface and maintain strategic dominance in space. Acting NASA Administrator and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is expected to announce the initiative this week, in his first major move since taking over the space agency.
Duffy, a former Fox News host, assumed leadership of NASA after President Donald Trump unexpectedly withdrew the nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman. The announcement comes at a time when NASA is grappling with significant budget cuts and internal opposition to Duffy's dual role.
“This is about winning the second space race,” a senior NASA official stated. The lunar nuclear reactor, with a planned output of 100 kilowatts, is seen as essential for enabling sustainable human operations on the Moon and bolstering national security in space.
Duffy’s directive tasks NASA with soliciting industry proposals for a reactor ready to launch by 2030. The urgency, he argues, is tied to the strategic threat posed by rival nations: if countries like China or Russia deploy a reactor first, they could claim restricted lunar zones that would severely hamper U.S. operations. China is reportedly targeting a manned lunar landing around the same timeframe.
Under the directive, NASA must appoint a project leader and collect industry feedback within 60 days. In tandem with the lunar reactor push, Duffy has also ordered NASA to fast-track plans to replace the aging International Space Station with commercially operated platforms by 2030, aiming to prevent a scenario where China holds the only permanently crewed orbital station.