NASA and the Department of Energy announced a formal partnership to develop a lunar nuclear reactor by 2030, citing the need for reliable power to support sustained human activity on the moon and future missions to Mars.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday that they plan to work jointly to build a nuclear reactor on the surface of the moon within the next four years, formalizing cooperation through a new memorandum of understanding aimed at accelerating development of a lunar fission power system.
The initiative is being advanced under President Donald Trump’s America First Space Policy and is intended to support long-duration lunar operations and eventual crewed missions to Mars. Under the agreement, the agencies are targeting deployment of a lunar surface reactor by 2030.
In a Department of Energy release, Energy Secretary Chris Wright compared the effort to earlier national projects such as the Manhattan Project and the Apollo program, saying the partnership would involve collaboration with NASA and commercial industry on what he described as one of the most significant technical challenges in nuclear energy and space exploration.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the project aligns with the administration’s broader space objectives, including returning astronauts to the moon, building permanent infrastructure, and preparing for future missions beyond Earth orbit. In NASA’s announcement, Isaacman said achieving those goals will require nuclear power and that the new agreement enables closer coordination between the two agencies.
NASA and DOE officials said the practical motivation for a fission-based power system is the moon’s environment, where solar energy cannot reliably provide electricity during the two-week lunar night or in permanently shadowed regions. A compact nuclear reactor, by contrast, could supply continuous power for years without refueling and operate through extreme temperature variations.
According to the agencies, a lunar fission surface power system would deliver safe and efficient electricity, enabling sustained human presence and scientific operations regardless of sunlight conditions. NASA has already been developing related technology through its Fission Surface Power program, which is intended to support a future lunar economy and continuous surface operations. The agency has said such systems could generate tens of kilowatts of electricity, enough to power critical life-support systems, communications, and scientific research at a crewed outpost.
The announcement also comes amid growing international competition in space. China and Russia have publicly discussed long-term lunar plans that include nuclear power concepts for a future international lunar research station, according to the South China Morning Post.
U.S. officials have cited those developments as a reason to accelerate domestic space and energy capabilities, arguing that leadership in advanced power systems will be central to maintaining a competitive position in lunar exploration and beyond. The NASA–DOE agreement reflects a broader federal push to prioritize reliable energy systems and American-led space infrastructure, with officials indicating that nuclear power could eventually play a role not only on the lunar surface but also in orbit.
Original article
Comments