Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy is expected to announce plans this week to construct a nuclear reactor on the Moon, giving a clear timeline and accelerating efforts long discussed within the agency, according to media reports.
The directive mandates that NASA solicit proposals within 60 days to develop a 100-kilowatt fission surface power (FSP) reactor capable of launching by 2030, around the same time China has stated it intends to land astronauts on the lunar surface.
“Fission surface power is both an essential and sustainable segment of the lunar and Mars power architectures for future human space exploration missions,” the directive states. It calls on the agency to act swiftly in order to support a future lunar economy, power generation on Mars, and broader U.S. national security objectives in space.
“There are very specific areas of the Moon that are critical that who gets there first gets to plant their flag,” Duffy said in an interview with Hannity.
Duffy also said NASA’s Artemis program aims to reestablish a sustained American presence on the Moon: “We’re going to set up a base camp,” he told Fox News. “And what we learn on the Moon is going to take us to Mars.”
In a separate directive, Duffy ordered NASA to expedite efforts to replace the aging International Space Station. The agency plans to award contracts to at least two, and preferably three or four, commercial partners within six months of issuing a formal request for proposals.
