Project said to be ‘strategic imperative’ for Trump administration
US space agency Nasa is reported to be fast-tracking plans to deploy a nuclear energy source on the lunar surface by 2030, viewing it as a strategic imperative to prevent Chinese dominance in the “second space race”.
According to Politico, Nasa’s interim administrator, Sean Duffy, has accelerated plans to deploy a small 100kW (0.1 MW) nuclear reactor on the Moon.
A directive has ordered the agency to solicit industry proposals for the reactor and sets an aggressive 2030 launch timeline, aiming to establish a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface while countering the rising influence of China.
The 2030 deadline was reportedly chosen to coincide with China’s own ambitious goal of landing its first astronauts on the moon in the same timeframe.
According to Politico, the directive points to the potential for other nations to build reactors first and establish “keep-out zones” could “significantly inhibit the United States”.
Therefore, deploying a US reactor before its competitors is a strategic imperative for the Trump administration.
In March 2024, the head of Russia’s space agency said Moscow was working on plans with Beijing on ways to deliver and install a nuclear power plant on the Moon by 2035.
Also last year, Nasa said it was extending contracts under Phase 1 of an ambitious project to develop a small, power-generating nuclear fission reactor that could potentially be deployed as a demonstrator on the Moon.
According to Nasa, nuclear fission systems, which are relatively small and lightweight compared to other power systems, could enable continuous power regardless of location, available sunlight, and other environmental conditions.
UK engineering giant Rolls-Royce has unveiled a nuclear space microreactor concept model that is part of a UK Space Agency backed research programme to deliver an initial demonstration of a UK lunar modular nuclear reactor.
