NASA fast-tracks Moon reactor to counter China's space ambitions

NASA is accelerating plans to deploy a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030 to maintain U.S. leadership in space amid growing competition from China and Russia. This initiative, announced by interim NASA chief Sean Duffy, marks a significant upgrade from previous efforts focused on a smaller 40-kilowatt reactor. The nuclear power source is critical for sustaining a long-term human presence on the Moon, as it can provide continuous energy despite the lunar environment’s challenges, such as the nearly 14-day-long lunar night and extreme temperature swings that limit solar power effectiveness. The move is also strategically motivated by concerns over the joint China-Russia International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project, which includes plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon by 2036. The U.S. fears that the first nation to establish a lunar nuclear reactor could impose “keep-out zones” restricting other countries’ access to key lunar resources, particularly at strategic locations like the lunar poles. The