The U.S. should deploy a small nuclear power plant to the surface of the moon before China and Russia are able to do so, the interim head of NASA has told the space agency’s staff.
NASA should be ready to launch a reactor to the lunar surface by the first quarter of fiscal year 2030, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who is serving as the space agency’s acting administrator, said in a directive to NASA dated July 31. This would work out to late 2029.
China and Russia are aiming to deploy a reactor to the moon by the mid-2030s to power a joint base, officials in Moscow and Beijing have said. The first country to deploy a reactor on the moon “could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first,” Duffy warned NASA. The Artemis mission is NASA’s lunar exploration program, which was first announced in 2017.
NASA should issue a request for proposals to industry within 60 days, according to Duffy’s directive. The reactor should be able to generate 100 kilowatts of electricity at a minimum, according to the directive. It would be transported aboard a heavy class lander with a payload of 15 metric tons.
