US to Announce Plan to Build Lunar Nuclear Reactor

According to a report by Jinse Finance, citing US media outlet POLITICO, US Secretary of Transportation and Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy will announce an accelerated initiative this week—to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon. This will be his first major policy move since taking on the role of acting NASA chief. Documents show that this plan will, for the first time, set a clear timeline. A senior NASA official stated, “This is about winning the second space race.” Duffy has also issued a directive to expedite the replacement of the International Space Station, another core objective for NASA. These two initiatives will accelerate the US’s return to the Moon and its mission to land on Mars. Duffy’s reactor directive requires NASA to solicit proposals from industry to build a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor and launch it before 2030, positioning it as a key support technology for future astronauts returning to the Moon. Previously, NASA had funded the development of a 40-kilowatt lunar surface reactor, aiming for launch readiness in the early 2030s.