Acting NASA Chief Tells Agency to Build a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon, Before China Does It First

NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy is fast-tracking the agency’s plans to build a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface, a move that highlights the Trump administration’s focus on human spaceflight and establishing a long-term presence on the Moon.

Duffy issued a directive to expedite the timeline for the reactor, aiming for a launch date to the Moon by 2030, Politico first reported . In the directive, Duffy mentions China and Russia’s joint plan to put a nuclear reactor of their own on the Moon in the mid-2030s, citing a concern that the two countries could “potentially declare a keep-out zone” that would hinder NASA’s ability to do the same.

“To properly advance this critical technology to be able to support a future lunar economy, high power energy generation on Mars, and to stre