https://sputnikglobe.com/20250805/nasa-set-to-unveil-plans-for-lunar-nuclear-reactor-this-week---reports-1122552882.html
NASA Set to Unveil Plans for Lunar Nuclear Reactor This Week - Reports
NASA Set to Unveil Plans for Lunar Nuclear Reactor This Week - Reports
Sputnik International
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who also serves as the interim NASA administrator, will announce an expedited plan this week to construct a nuclear reactor on the Moon.
2025-08-05T03:21+0000
2025-08-05T03:21+0000
2025-08-05T04:21+0000
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sean duffy
science & tech
nasa
china
russia
international space station (iss)
yuri borisov
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Duffy will sign a directive this week that instructs NASA to seek industry proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor, aimed for launch by 2030, which is crucial for supporting astronauts' return to the Moon the report said on Monday. The directive also notes that the first country to establish a reactor could "declare a keep-out zone," significantly hindering the United States, reflecting NASA’s concerns regarding a joint project initiated by China and Russia last year, according to the report. Furthermore, Duffy will announce a goal to expedite the replacement of the International Space Station (ISS) with commercially operated alternatives, aiming to award contracts to at least two companies within six months of the agency's request for proposals. The goal is to have a new station in orbit by 2030, according to the report. The directive also mandates NASA to appoint a leader for the initiative and gather industry feedback within 60 days to be capable of launching a reactor by 2030, coinciding with China's plans to land its first astronaut on the Moon, the report said. In November 2022, Russia and China signed a deal on the joint creation of the International Scientific Lunar Station (ISLS) in 2033-2035. Then-Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov said later that Russian and Chinese space agencies were considering installing a nuclear energy facility on the Moon as part of the joint project and that the development of the facility had already begun. As the ISS is set to deorbit after 2030, Russia plans to create its new orbital station. The Rocket and Space Corporation Energia intends to launch the first module of this station in 2027, to complete its construction in orbit by 2032.
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moon base, news space race, first moon base, nuclear reactor in space, sean duffy nasa
moon base, news space race, first moon base, nuclear reactor in space, sean duffy nasa
NASA Set to Unveil Plans for Lunar Nuclear Reactor This Week - Reports
03:21 GMT 05.08.2025 (Updated: 04:21 GMT 05.08.2025) Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who also serves as the interim NASA administrator, will announce an expedited plan this week to construct a nuclear reactor on the Moon.
Duffy will sign a directive this week that instructs NASA to seek industry proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor, aimed for launch by 2030, which is crucial for supporting astronauts' return to the Moon the report said on Monday.
“It is about winning the second space race,” the report quoted a senior NASA official as saying ahead of the plan's release.
The directive also notes that the first country to establish a reactor could "declare a keep-out zone," significantly hindering the United States, reflecting NASA’s concerns regarding a joint project initiated by China and Russia last year, according to the report.
Furthermore, Duffy will announce a goal to expedite the replacement of the International Space Station (ISS) with commercially operated alternatives, aiming to award contracts to at least two companies within six months of the agency's request for proposals. The goal is to have a new station in orbit by 2030, according to the report.
The directive also mandates NASA to appoint a leader for the initiative and gather industry feedback within 60 days to be capable of launching a reactor by 2030, coinciding with China's plans to land its first astronaut on the Moon, the report said.
In November 2022, Russia and China signed a deal on the joint creation of the International Scientific Lunar Station (ISLS) in 2033-2035. Then-Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov said later that Russian and Chinese space agencies were considering installing a nuclear energy facility on the Moon as part of the joint project and that the development of the facility had already begun.
As the ISS is set to deorbit after 2030, Russia plans to create its new orbital station. The Rocket and Space Corporation Energia intends to launch the first module of this station in 2027, to complete its construction in orbit by 2032.
