The United States is reportedly accelerating its plans to construct a nuclear reactor on the Moon. Initial discussions regarding such a project have been ongoing within NASA for some time and now Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is reportedly pushing to expedite the initiative, according to reporting by Politico.
Secretary Duffy’s newly drafted reactor guidelines include instructions to solicit proposals from industry for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor, aiming for operational readiness by 2030. NASA previously funded research into a 40-kilowatt reactor intended for lunar deployment, with a projected readiness date in the early 2030s.
The guidelines also stipulate that the nation first to establish a reactor on the Moon could potentially declare a restricted zone. Consequently, NASA is actively seeking companies capable of ensuring the safe and timely commissioning of a reactor by 2030, Politico reports. This effort is occurring as China simultaneously progresses towards sending its first astronaut to the lunar surface. Sources within NASA have indicated that the development is partly driven by a desire to maintain a leading position in space exploration, viewed by some as a new era of competition.