NASA to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030

The NASA of the American space agency will speed up the plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, according to the American media.

It is one of the American ambitions to build a permanent base so that humans live on the lunar surface.

According to Politico, NASA’s actor chief referred to similar plans for China and Russia and said these two countries “could potentially declare a conservation area” on the moon.

But questions remain on the realistic of the objective and the calendar, given the recent and abrupt budget cuts of NASA, and certain scientists fear that the plans will be motivated by geopolitical objectives.

Nations such as the United States, China, Russia, India and Japan rush to explore the surface of the Moon, certain permanent human establishments planning.

“To properly advance this critical technology to be able to support a future lunar economy, a high energy production on Mars and to strengthen our national security in space, it is imperative that the agency is moving quickly,” wrote the American transport secretary Sean Duffy, who was appointed temporary chief of NASA by President Donald Trump, to NASA, according to the New York Times.

Mr. Duffy called for proposals from commercial companies to build a reactor that could generate at least 100 kilowatts of power.

It’s relatively small. A typical wind turbine generates 2 to 3 megawatts.

The idea of building a nuclear reactor as a source of energy on the moon is not new.

In 2022, NASA issued three $ 5 million contracts to companies to design a reactor.

And in May this year, China and Russia have announced that they plan to build an automated nuclear power plant on the moon by 2035.

Many scientists agree that it would be the best or perhaps the means of providing continuous power on the lunar surface.

A lunar day is equivalent to four weeks on earth, made up of two weeks of continuous sun and two weeks of darkness. This makes the use of solar energy very difficult.

“Building even a modest lunar habitat to accommodate a small crew would require the production of electricity on a megawatt scale. Solar tables and batteries alone cannot respond reliably to these requests,” suggests Dr. Sungwoo Lim, lecturer in space applications, exploration and instrumentation of the University of Surrey

“Nuclear energy is not only desirable, it is inevitable,” he adds.

Lionel Wilson, professor of land and planetary sciences at the University of Lancaster, believes that it is technically possible to place the reactors on the moon by 2030 “given the commitment of enough money”, and he emphasizes that there are already conceptions for small reactors.

“It is just a question of having enough artemis launches to build the infrastructure on the moon by then,” he adds, referring to the NASA Artemis Space Flight Program which aims to send people and equipment to the Moon.

There are also a few questions about security.

“The launch of radioactive materials through the earthly atmosphere brings security problems. You must have a special license to do this, but it is not insurmountable,” said Dr. Simeon Barber, specialist in planetary sciences at open university.

Mr. Duffy’s directive was a surprise following the recent bustle in NASA after Mr. Trump’s administration announced 24% discounts in NASA budgets in 2026.

This includes cuts to a large number of scientific programs such as the return of the Mars sample which aims to make samples from the surface of the planet to the earth.

Scientists also fear that this announcement will be a politically reasoned decision in the new international breed to the Moon.

“It seems that we return to the old days of competition from the first space race, which, from a scientific point of view, is a little disappointing and concerning,” explains Dr. Barber.

“Competition can create innovation, but if there is a closer accent on the national interest and on the establishment of the property, you can lose sight of the situation as a whole which explores the solar system and beyond,” he adds.

Mr. Duffy’s comments on the potential of China and Russia potentially “declare a Keep-out area on the Moon seem to refer to an agreement called Artemis Agreements.

In 2020, seven nations signed the agreement to establish principles on how countries should cooperate on the surface of the Moon.

The agreements include so -called security areas to establish around operations and assets that counties build on the moon.

“If you build a nuclear reactor or or any type of base on the moon, you can start pretending that you have a safety area around it, because you have equipment there,” said Dr. Barber.

“For some people, it comes back”, “we have this piece of moon, we will operate here and and you cannot enter,” he explains.

Dr. Barber points out that there are obstacles to overcome before placing a nuclear reactor on the moon so that humans can use.

Artemis 3 of NASA aims to send humans to the lunar surface in 2027, but he had to face a series of reverse and uncertainty around funding.

“If you have nuclear energy for a base, but you have no way of bringing people and equipment there, then it’s not very useful,” he added.

“The plans do not seem very attached right now,” he said.