NASA races to put nuclear reactors on Moon and Mars

Washington: The United States is rushing to put nuclear power reactors on the Moon and Mars, and hopes to launch the first system by the end of the de...

Washington: The United States is rushing to put nuclear power reactors on the Moon and Mars, and hopes to launch the first system by the end of the decade.

A new NASA directive -- first reported by Politico and seen by AFP on Tuesday -- calls for the appointment of a nuclear power czar to select two commercial proposals within six months, framing the push as crucial to outpacing a joint Chinese-Russian effort.

Signed by acting NASA chief Sean Duffy, who is also US transportation secretary, the July 31 memo is the latest sign of the agency's shift towards prioritizing human space exploration over scientific research under President Donald Trump's second term.

"Since March 2024, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s," it says.

"The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first."