The United States is fast-tracking efforts to deploy nuclear power systems on the Moon and Mars, with NASA aiming to launch its first reactor before the end of the decade. A newly disclosed agency directive — first reported by Politico and reviewed by AFP — outlines a six-month timeline to select two commercial designs, underscoring Washington’s urgency in staying ahead of a joint Chinese-Russian lunar power initiative.
A concept image of NASA's Fission Surface Power Project
The memo, signed on July 31 by acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, who also serves as U.S. Transportation Secretary, frames the effort as essential to safeguarding the Artemis program’s long-term presence on the Moon’s south pole. The directive warns that the first nation to establish a reactor could claim a “keep-out zone,” limiting access for rivals.
“Since March 2024, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s,” the document states. “The first country to do so could significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first.”
NASA’s interest in off-world fission reactors is not new. Since 2000, the agency has invested roughly $200 million into small, lightweight nuclear power systems, though none have reached flight readiness. The most recent effort concluded in 2023, when three private firms completed $5 million concept studies for 40-kilowatt surface reactors — enough energy to continuously power 30 households for a decade.
Unlike solar arrays, which are vulnerable to the Moon’s weeks-long nights and Mars’ dust storms, fission systems can operate continuously regardless of lighting conditions. Advances in reactor miniaturization now make such systems more practical for spaceflight.
NASA formally committed to nuclear power for Mars in December 2024 — the first of seven major decisions required for a crewed Red Planet mission. The agency estimates it will need at least 100 kilowatts of surface power to sustain long-term human operations, including life support, communications, and in-situ resource utilization, such as extracting water ice. Plans call for a heavy-class lander capable of delivering up to 15 metric tons of payload, with a target launch readiness by late 2029.
Race against shifting timelines
The nuclear push comes as NASA’s Artemis program faces repeated delays. The first crewed landing mission, Artemis 3, has slipped to 2027, but many experts doubt that date is achievable given the readiness challenges of SpaceX’s Starship lunar lander.
Meanwhile, China has set 2030 for its first crewed Moon mission and has demonstrated an ability to meet — and in some cases beat — its spaceflight schedules. With Beijing and Moscow now openly collaborating on lunar power infrastructure, U.S. officials see little time to lose.
If successful, the first American lunar reactor could mark a turning point in space infrastructure — not just for exploration, but for establishing geopolitical influence beyond Earth.
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