The US is rushing to put nuclear power reactors on the moon and Mars, and hopes to launch the first system by the end of the decade.
A new NASA directive — first reported by Politico — calls for the appointment of a nuclear power czar to select two commercial proposals within six months, framing the push as crucial to outpacing a joint Chinese-Russian effort.
Signed by Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, who is also secretary of transportation, the memo — signed on Thursday last week — is the latest sign of the agency’s shift toward prioritizing human space exploration.
Photo: AFP
“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 memo says. “The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first.”
The idea of using nuclear energy off-planet is not new.
Since 2000, NASA has invested US$200 million toward developing small, lightweight fission power systems, although none have progressed toward flight readiness, according to the directive.
The most recent effort came in 2023 with the completion of three US$5 million industry study contracts that focused on generating 40 kilowatts of power, enough to continuously run 30 households for 10 years.
Unlike solar power, fission systems can operate around the clock — invaluable during the weeks-long lunar nights or Martian dust storms.
Advances in technology have made such systems increasingly compact and lightweight.
NASA in December last year formally committed to using nuclear power on Mars — the first of seven key decisions necessary for human exploration of the Red Planet.
Based on feedback by industry, surface power needs should be at least 100 kilowatts to support “long-term human operations including in situ resource utilization,” meaning things like life support, communications and mining equipment to collect surface ice. It assumes the use of a “heavy class lander” that carries up to 15 tonnes and targets a “readiness to launch by the first quarter of FY30,” meaning late 2029.
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