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White House announces plan for nuclear reactors on the moon
The policy sets 30-, 60- and 90-day deadlines for NASA, the Pentagon and the Energy Department as it seeks low- to high-power reactor designs.
- On Tuesday, the White House released NSTM-3 directing NASA, the Pentagon, and the Department of Energy to develop space nuclear power systems for potential launch as early as 2028.
- Aiming to maintain American dominance, the strategy addresses the burgeoning space race with adversaries like China and Russia while supporting sustained human presence on the moon and Mars.
- The guidance mandates parallel design competitions by NASA and the Defense Department, with the Department of Energy providing a 60-day assessment of nuclear industrial readiness.
- Agencies will pursue mission-enabling reactors including a mid-power variant ready by 2030, while the Pentagon will support NASA efforts to enable future high-power deployments in the 2030s.
- Despite past investments exceeding $20 billion without successful flights, the policy seeks to reverse this trend, though national security analyst Joseph Cirincione warns lunar reactor development could take up to 20 years.
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Nuclear reactor on moon crucial to U.S. ‘space superiority,’ Trump officials say
It's crucial that the U.S. establish a permanent base on the moon -- including a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface -- before China or Russia does, top Trump administration officials said Tuesday at a major space conference.
·United States
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Trump swings for moon with nuclear reactor plans as China, Russia team up in space race – Democratic Accent
A memo released by the Trump administration on Tuesday detailed a goal of having a nuclear reactor on the moon’s surface by 2030, a move that furthers the United States’ quest for supremacy in space over China and Russia. In the six-page document, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy wrote that incorporating nuclear energy in space will be essential to advancing U.S. efforts in “space exploration, commerce, and defense applica…
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Total News Sources17
Leaning Left1Leaning Right5Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Right
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Right
50% Right
C 40%
R 50%
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