NASA to Unveil Accelerated Nuclear Reactor Plan on Moon

X/ @DJBerbs

August 6, 2025 Hour: 9:35 am

The U.S. agency aims to install a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor by 2030.

U.S. Transportation Secretary and acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy will announce an expedited plan this week to put a nuclear reactor on the moon, reported Politico, citing the agency’s internal documents.

“It is about winning the second space race,” a senior NASA official told the report, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the documents’ wider release.

“To properly advance this critical technology to be able to support a future lunar economy, high power energy generation on Mars, and to strengthen our national security in space, it is imperative the agency move quickly,” wrote Duffy in the directive sent out on Thursday, according to the New York Times.

The directive instructs NASA to seek industry proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor, with the goal of launching it by 2030. Such a reactor would be crucial for enabling extended human stays on the moon, a key consideration for the United States’ upcoming lunar missions.

The first moon landing under NASA’s return-to-the-moon program, known as Artemis, is scheduled for 2027. However, according to the NYT report, many experts doubt the feasibility of that timeline, noting that several essential systems, such as SpaceX’s Starship lunar lander, are still in development and remain unproven.

🇺🇸 NASA Acting Chief Sean Duffy on the U.S. building a nuclear reactor on the Moon: “We’re in a race with China”

“There’s a certain part of the Moon everyone knows is the best. We have ice there, we have sunlight there. We want to get there first and claim that for America.” pic.twitter.com/KS4YTxQA5P
— UAP James (@UAPJames) August 5, 2025

Duffy also offered a directive to more quickly replace the International Space Station with commercially run ones, aiming to award contracts to at least two companies within six months of the agency’s request for proposals. The aging International Space Station has experienced problems with leaks in recent years and is expected to be retired by 2030.

The plans are in line with the Trump administration’s focus on crewed spaceflight. The White House has proposed a budget that would increase human spaceflight funds for 2026, even as it advocates for major slashes to other programs, including a nearly 50 percent cut for science missions such as robotic space probes, climate science research, and aviation technology development.

The directives are Duffy’s first major initiative since he was named NASA’s acting administrator. In July, U.S. President Donald Trump appointed Duffy as interim administrator after abruptly withdrawing billionaire Jared Isaacman’s nomination amid a dispute with the nominee’s ally, Elon Musk.