NASA aiming to build nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030

NASA is accelerating its plans for a nuclear reactor on the moon.

For several years now, the agency has been working to get a 40-kilowatt fission system ready for launch to the moon by the early 2030s. But interim NASA chief Sean Duffy is about to announce a more ambitious path, via a directive set to be released this week, according to Politico.

"The reactor directive orders the agency to solicit industry proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor to launch by 2030, a key consideration for astronauts' return to the lunar surface," Politico reported on Monday (Aug. 4).

NASA is working to return astronauts to the moon via its Artemis program, which aims to establish one or more bases on the lunar surface by 2030 or so.

Nuclear power systems are a key part of this vision. Solar isn't a