NASA boss calls for nuclear reactor on the Moon

Science budget? Whatever. It's all about beating China and Russia

NASA's Acting Administrator, Sean Duffy, has directed the US space agency to come up with a plan to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon.

Duffy's directive [PDF] warns about China and Russia's own intentions to put a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s. According to the directive, "The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone."

So the US needs to get there first.

The requirement is for a reactor with a minimum output of 100kW (driven by industry requirements). A "heavy class lander" capable of putting a payload of 15 metric tons on the surface is assumed to be available. Everything must be ready to go by the first quarter of FY30.

It's a tall order. SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's systems are both theoretically more than capable of landing that much mass on the lunar surface. However, the former keeps on exploding, and the latter has yet to be launched. And then there is the challenge of actually launching radioactive material through the Earth's atmosphere. It's one thing for SpaceX to shower the Caribbean with bits of Starship. It would be quite another if a failed launch carried a nuclear payload.

That said, the problem can be solved. After all, probes and rovers with radioactive power supplies have been launched over the years.

NASA has examined a lunar-based nuke reactor before. In 2022, the agency tapped a trio of companies to look into developing a nuclear fission reactor capable of producing 40kW that could be tested on the Moon by 2030.

Getting a reliable power source to the Moon is a laudable goal. While abundant solar energy is available during the day, keeping the lights on during the lunar night presents a challenge. Captain Mark Kelly, former astronaut and now US Senator for Arizona, took a break from commenting on NASA's budget proposals to give his approval to the idea.

However, NASA's budget is a factor. Although the final outcome of proposed cuts is not yet decided, deep incisions could result in the termination of many active missions and the cancellation of programs yet to reach the launchpad.

Furthermore, it is not clear who would use the power source. At present, NASA plans to land astronauts on the Moon on Artemis III in 2027. The mission could be the last for the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft, after which commercial companies will be expected to ferry humans to the lunar surface and back. How this would work has yet to be made clear, which raises the possibility that there might be no crew or equipment on the Moon to use such a power source.

A NASA spokesperson told The Register that more details around the nuclear reactor plan would be coming. "To further advance US competition and lunar surface leadership under the Artemis campaign, NASA is moving quickly to advance fission surface power development.

"This critical technology will support lunar exploration, provide high power energy generation on Mars, and strengthen our national security in space. Among efforts to advance development, NASA will designate a new program executive to manage this work, as well as issue a Request for Proposal to industry within 60 days." ®