A directive issued by U.S. Transportation Secretary and Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy stated that establishing a nuclear power plant on the moon is critical to U.S. space exploration and national security goals, and that the government should "move swiftly" to build the reactor before its Earthly counterparts.
According to Duffy's directive, a full "day" on the moon consists of two weeks of light and approximately two weeks of darkness. Nuclear energy, known as Fission Surface Power (FSP), is a "sustainable" and "high-power" energy source that can survive the lunar night and could be deployed on other celestial bodies, such as Mars.
"We are in a lunar race with China," Duffy said at a press conference on Tuesday. "To establish a base on the Moon, we need energy. In some key areas, we will use solar power. But the technology for this vision is so critical that we've invested hundreds of millions of dollars in research."
Duffy continued, "Can we do it? We're now moving beyond research and into action. We've directed that we begin deploying our technologies to make this a reality."
When contacted by ABC News, a NASA spokesperson said, "We will let these directives speak for themselves."
The directive, dated July 31, calls for the appointment of a "FSP Project Leader" within 30 days to implement and oversee the project, reporting directly to the NASA Administrator. It does not specify which specific lunar projects these nuclear reactors will power.
Duffy noted in the directive, "Since March 2024, China and Russia have announced at least three joint efforts to deploy reactors on the Moon by the mid-2030s. The first nation to do so could potentially declare an exclusion zone, significantly limiting the potential for the United States to establish an Artemis presence without a prior occupation."
The directive was first reported by Politico.
On the same day, Duffy also issued a second directive aimed at accelerating the development of a replacement for the International Space Station, which is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2030.
While NASA has never used a fission nuclear reactor in space, it has used nuclear materials to power spacecraft since the 1960s. These systems, called radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), use the heat generated by the decay of plutonium-238 to power spacecraft and rovers. NASA's Curiosity rover is currently using an RTG system for power on Mars.
In recent years, billions of dollars have been invested in the development of a new type of nuclear reactor called small modular reactors (SMRs). These reactors have a lower power output than traditional reactors but are significantly smaller. SMRs are still under development in the United States, and no units are currently operational.
"There's a part of the moon that's known to be the sweet spot. We have ice there, and then there's sunlight. We want to be there first and claim that area for the United States," Duffy said on Tuesday.
