NASA is working on plans to develop a nuclear reactor on the Moon, according to an article from Politico citing internal agency documents.
The report highlights NASA’s intention to solicit concrete proposals from companies within the next 60 days to create a 100-kilowatt reactor, which is expected to be operational by 2030.
Shawn Duffy, the acting administrator of NASA, is anticipated to announce these plans in the coming days as reported.
This initiative comes amid increasing competition with China, which also aims to execute its first crewed lunar mission around the same timeframe.
It’s worth noting that the concept of a lunar nuclear reactor is not new; Russia has proposed this idea in the past, while NASA has recently intensified its own research in this area.
The reactor would provide a consistent power source for future lunar missions, particularly during the two-week lunar night when solar energy is unavailable.
The U.S. aims to send astronauts back to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years as part of the Artemis program, planning to land a crew on the lunar surface by 2027.
However, the timeline has faced multiple delays, and it remains uncertain whether U.S. President Donald Trump will continue to back this initiative.