US vs China: NASA plans to build nuclear reactor on Moon. What it means? All we know so far

Mint

4 days ago

.NASA's interim administrator Sean Duffy recently announced plans to install a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface by 2030. He said the US is in a new space race with China to claim the most resource-rich part of the moon.
Water ice and continuous sunlight make certain parts of the moon, especially near the south pole, ideal for setting up a permanent moon base. These conditions are important for both sustaining human life and generating power.
"There's a certain part of the moon that everyone knows is the best," he said. "We have ice there. We have sunlight there. We want to get there first and claim that for America," he said.
Unlike solar power, fission systems can operate around the clock — invaluable during the weeks-long lunar nights or Martian dust storms.
Notably, spacecraft orbiting the Earth or stationed on the moon are typically powered by solar panels.
However, solar power alone won't be enough for long-term human occupation of the moon, said Roger Myers, an expert on space-based nuclear power,
"The sun sets on the moon for two weeks," he was qopted by NPR as saying. "You have to have another source of energy: The sun and batteries do not work. We're going to have to have nuclear power."
Duffy explained earlier in August that energy is the key to setting up a permanent base, and that's why he wants a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor placed on the moon within the next five years.
He said such a reactor would generate about the same amount of electricity that a typical US household uses in 3.5 days.
The US 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.
NASA is currently working to return astronauts to the moon through its Artemis program, which aims to establish one or more bases on the lunar surface by 2030 or so.
Meanwhile, China also plans to set up a moon base, in partnership with Russia and a number of other nations.
A successful manned landing before 2030 is likley to boost China's plans to build a "basic model" of the International Lunar Research Station by 2035.
This manned base, led by China and Russia, would include a nuclear reactor on the moon's surface as a power source," Reuters reported.
NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return to the Moon and establish a lasting presence near the south pole, has faced repeated delays.
The timeline for Artemis 3, the first planned crewed landing, has slipped to 2027, a date few see as realistic given the planned lander, SpaceX's Starship, is far from ready.
China, meanwhile, is targeting 2030 for its first crewed mission and has proven more adept at meeting its deadlines in recent years.
A space lawyer said a lunar nuclear reactor "may sound dramatic, but it's neither illegal nor unprecedented."
"Nothing in international law prohibits the peaceful use of nuclear power on the Moon," Michelle LD Hanlon, Professor of Air and Space Law, University of Mississippi wrote in The Conversation.
She said that if deployed responsibly, it could allow countries to peacefully explore the Moon, fuel their economic growth and test out technologies for deeper space missions.
Hanlon explained why being the first to do so is important. She said, "The first country to succeed could shape the norms for expectations, behaviors and legal interpretations related to lunar presence and influence."
The space law expert said building infrastructure is not staking a territorial claim. 'No one can own the Moon, but one country setting up a reactor could shape where and how others operate – functionally, if not legally,' she added.
She further believe that a reactor on the Moon 'isn't a territorial claim or a declaration of war. But it is infrastructure.'
Since 2000, NASA has invested $200 million towards developing small, lightweight fission power systems, though none have progressed towards flight readiness, according to the new NASA directive -- first reported by Politico and seen by AFP on Tuesday.
The most recent effort came in 2023 with the completion of three $5 million industry study contracts that focused on generating 40 kilowatts of power, enough to continuously run 30 households for 10 years.
NASA formally committed to using nuclear power on Mars in December 2024 -- the first of seven key decisions necessary for human exploration of the Red Planet.
Besides, the United Nations' 1992 Principles Relevant to the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space recognises that nuclear energy may be essential for missions where solar power is insufficient.