The American space agency, NASA, is to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030. This is according to internal documents obtained by the American media outlet Politico.
The media outlet reports that NASA's acting head, US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, will present the plan later this week. According to Politico, Duffy will issue a directive instructing NASA to begin soliciting proposals from industry to build a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor.
According to an unnamed NASA official, the nuclear reactor is intended to help the United States maintain a lead over China, which, like the United States, has ambitions to carry out missions to both the Moon and Mars.
- It's about winning the second part of the space race, the source says.
Fear of being overtaken by China and Russia
According to the directive, the United States is concerned that China and Russia will get ahead of the United States in a joint project. If other countries act faster, it will hamper the United States, it appears. NASA will gather input from industry over the next 60 days and appoint a leader for the task, the directive states.
According to Politico, Sean Duffy will advance the replacement of the International Space Station, so that it can be put into service by 2030. According to the plan, NASA will enter into the first contracts within six months.
NASA's upcoming investments come at a time when the US government is planning major savings at NASA. In its proposed budget for 2026, the US government has removed 25 percent of NASA's funding, which means that the staff at NASA will be reduced by more than 5,000 employees.
If the budget is approved by Congress, it will mean that NASA will have to operate with the smallest budget and staff since the early 1960s, according to Politico.
/ritzau/
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