The agency is seeking companies that can launch a reactor by 2030, around the time China plans to send its first astronaut to the moon.
U.S. Transportation Secretary and NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy would reportedly unveil plans later this week to build a nuclear reactor on the moon.
According to a Politico report, citing documents, Duffy will order the agency to seek industry proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor to launch by 2030, which would help facilitate the return of astronauts to the lunar surface.
The directive also orders NASA to designate a leader for the effort and to get industry input within 60 days. The agency is seeking companies that can launch a reactor by 2030, around the time China plans to send its first astronaut to the moon.
While the U.S. had planned to build a reactor on the moon earlier, this directive would mark the first time NASA has provided a definitive timeline for the project.
According to the report, the directive states that the first country to have a reactor could “declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States.” This comes at a time when China and Russia have teamed up to install a nuclear power plant on the moon in the next decade.
Duffy has also reportedly issued a directive to expedite the replacement of the International Space Station, which is currently expected to be decommissioned by the end of 2030. NASA plans to award at least two companies a contract within six months of the agency’s request for proposals, with the hopes of putting a new station in space by 2030.
Retail sentiment on Stocktwits about Voyager Technologies, which is developing the Starlab space station, was ‘bullish’ at the time of writing.
Duffy was handed the NASA job on an interim basis last month, after President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew the nomination of billionaire and Musk ally Jared Isaacman. The reported orders will be the first significant steps by the former Fox News host in his role as the administrator of the space agency. Duffy has faced scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers for handling two roles simultaneously.
The space agency is undergoing a major upheaval, marked by layoffs and budget cuts for science missions. However, the budget for human spaceflight has been boosted significantly as the Trump administration aims to reach the moon and Mars before Russia and China.
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