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NASA to build nuclear reactor on the moon to stop China's space grab: Report

Mint

3 hours ago

Mint

NASA to build nuclear reactor on the moon to stop China's space grab: Report

Interim NASA Administrator and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will announce expedited plans to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon, marking his first major policy move at NASA, Politico reported, citing internal documents. While NASA has long discussed the potential of nuclear energy on the lunar surface, Duffy's plan sets a definitive timeline for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor to be operational by 2030, according to documents obtained by Politico. Previously, NASA had funded work on a smaller 40-kilowatt system. The directive, set to be released this week, orders the space agency to solicit proposals from the private sector and designate a project leader within 60 days. The push comes amid growing concerns about China and Russia's collaborative lunar base project and their potential to establish dominance in space. The internal directive reportedly warns that the first country to deploy a reactor on the moon could establish a 'keep-out zone', limiting access for rivals like the US. This geopolitical concern is driving the administration's aggressive timeline. The news outlet notes that China plans to land astronauts on the Moon around 2030 — the same target date for the US reactor. In addition to the lunar reactor, Duffy's directive reportedly calls for accelerating the replacement of the aging International Space Station (ISS). According to Politico, NASA aims to award contracts to at least two commercial space station developers within six months of issuing a formal request. NASA's goal is to have a commercial station in orbit by 2030, thereby avoiding a lapse that would leave China's Tiangong as the only permanently crewed space station.

Trump orders NASA to kill 2 satellites that can function for many more years - the reason will shock all

Economic Times

7 hours ago

Economic Times

Trump orders NASA to kill 2 satellites that can function for many more years - the reason will shock all

Trump NASA satellite shutdown: The White House has directed NASA to shut down two carbon-tracking satellites. These satellites monitor carbon dioxide levels. The satellites provide crucial data for understanding climate change. Scientists, farmers, and energy companies use this data. One satellite is on the International Space Station. The other will burn up in the atmosphere if shut down. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Satellites Tracking Carbon Emissions To Face Early Shutdown What Are the Orbiting Carbon Observatories? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Former NASA Scientist Raises Concerns What Are the Orbiting Carbon Observatories? Lawmakers Push Back, Call Cuts 'Catastrophic' Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs A decision that has left many scientists and space lovers scratching their heads is that the White House has ordered NASA to shut down two important satellites that are still working perfectly and could keep doing so for years, as per a report. These satellites track carbon dioxide levels in Earth's atmosphere, which helps to understand climate change and how it affects everything from farming to energy industries, as per a Futurism Trump administration's officials have reached out to NASA to draw up plans for terminating the two missions, called the Orbiting Carbon Observatories , as reported by Futurism. Both of them have been used to collect widely used data, which provide information to oil and gas companies and farmers about the distribution of carbon dioxide and how it can affect crop health, according to the READ: When is Labor Day 2025 in US and what should you know before celebrating? One of the satellites is attached to the International Space Station, and the other is collecting data as a stand-alone satellite, as reported by Futurism. The latter would see its permanent demise after burning up in the atmosphere if the mission gets terminated, according to the Trump administration's move to end the missions comes at a time when the two observatories had been expected to function for many more years, and a 2023 review by NASA found that the data they'd been providing had been "of exceptionally high quality," as reported by review also found that the observatories give detailed carbon dioxide measurements across various locations, which let scientists get a detailed glimpse of how human activity is affecting greenhouse gas emissions, according to the READ: Another Indian-American shakes up Silicon Valley - Meet Shyam Sankar, Palantir's CTO powering company's meteoric rise An ex-NASA employee, David Crisp, who worked on the Orbiting Carbon Observatories' instruments, revealed that current staffers reached out to him, saying, "They were asking me very sharp questions," adding, "The only thing that would have motivated those questions was [that] somebody told them to come up with a termination plan," as quoted by explained that it "makes no economic sense to terminate NASA missions that are returning incredibly valuable data," pointing out that it costs just $15 million per year to maintain both observatories, which is a small fraction of the agency's $25.4 billion budget, as reported by other scientists who have used data from the missions have also been asked questions about terminating the missions, as per the the two observatories are just two of dozens of space missions that are currently facing existential threats due to the Trump administration's proposed 2026 fiscal year budget, according to the reasons for terminating these missions are not known yet, but there is only speculation given US president Donald Trump's staunch climate change denial and his administration's efforts to deal the agency's science directorate a potentially existential blow, as per the has led many scientists to argue that the move could precipitate an end to the United States' leadership in space, according to the Futurism report. Many lawmakers have also drawn up a counteroffer that would keep NASA's budget almost in line with this year's budget, as per the and top appropriator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) had siad in a July, "We rejected cuts that would have devastated NASA science by 47 percent and would have terminated 55 operating and planned missions," as quoted in the representative and Committee on Science, Space and Technology ranking member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) said thar, "Eliminating funds or scaling down the operations of Earth-observing satellites would be catastrophic and would severely impair our ability to forecast, manage, and respond to severe weather and climate disasters," adding, "The Trump administration is forcing the proposed cuts in its FY26 budget request on already appropriated FY25 funds. This is illegal," as quoted in the Futurism farmers, environmentalists, energy companies, anyone needing detailed carbon emission will burn up in the atmosphere, and the other will stop collecting data, ending their missions prematurely.

Time of India

7 hours ago

Time of India

Trump orders NASA to kill 2 satellites that can function for many more years - the reason will shock all

Trump NASA satellite shutdown: The White House has directed NASA to shut down two carbon-tracking satellites. These satellites monitor carbon dioxide levels. The satellites provide crucial data for understanding climate change. Scientists, farmers, and energy companies use this data. One satellite is on the International Space Station. The other will burn up in the atmosphere if shut down. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Satellites Tracking Carbon Emissions To Face Early Shutdown What Are the Orbiting Carbon Observatories? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Former NASA Scientist Raises Concerns What Are the Orbiting Carbon Observatories? Lawmakers Push Back, Call Cuts 'Catastrophic' Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs A decision that has left many scientists and space lovers scratching their heads is that the White House has ordered NASA to shut down two important satellites that are still working perfectly and could keep doing so for years, as per a report. These satellites track carbon dioxide levels in Earth's atmosphere, which helps to understand climate change and how it affects everything from farming to energy industries, as per a Futurism Trump administration's officials have reached out to NASA to draw up plans for terminating the two missions, called the Orbiting Carbon Observatories , as reported by Futurism. Both of them have been used to collect widely used data, which provide information to oil and gas companies and farmers about the distribution of carbon dioxide and how it can affect crop health, according to the READ: When is Labor Day 2025 in US and what should you know before celebrating? One of the satellites is attached to the International Space Station, and the other is collecting data as a stand-alone satellite, as reported by Futurism. The latter would see its permanent demise after burning up in the atmosphere if the mission gets terminated, according to the Trump administration's move to end the missions comes at a time when the two observatories had been expected to function for many more years, and a 2023 review by NASA found that the data they'd been providing had been "of exceptionally high quality," as reported by review also found that the observatories give detailed carbon dioxide measurements across various locations, which let scientists get a detailed glimpse of how human activity is affecting greenhouse gas emissions, according to the READ: Another Indian-American shakes up Silicon Valley - Meet Shyam Sankar, Palantir's CTO powering company's meteoric rise An ex-NASA employee, David Crisp, who worked on the Orbiting Carbon Observatories' instruments, revealed that current staffers reached out to him, saying, "They were asking me very sharp questions," adding, "The only thing that would have motivated those questions was [that] somebody told them to come up with a termination plan," as quoted by explained that it "makes no economic sense to terminate NASA missions that are returning incredibly valuable data," pointing out that it costs just $15 million per year to maintain both observatories, which is a small fraction of the agency's $25.4 billion budget, as reported by other scientists who have used data from the missions have also been asked questions about terminating the missions, as per the the two observatories are just two of dozens of space missions that are currently facing existential threats due to the Trump administration's proposed 2026 fiscal year budget, according to the reasons for terminating these missions are not known yet, but there is only speculation given US president Donald Trump's staunch climate change denial and his administration's efforts to deal the agency's science directorate a potentially existential blow, as per the has led many scientists to argue that the move could precipitate an end to the United States' leadership in space, according to the Futurism report. Many lawmakers have also drawn up a counteroffer that would keep NASA's budget almost in line with this year's budget, as per the and top appropriator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) had siad in a July, "We rejected cuts that would have devastated NASA science by 47 percent and would have terminated 55 operating and planned missions," as quoted in the representative and Committee on Science, Space and Technology ranking member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) said thar, "Eliminating funds or scaling down the operations of Earth-observing satellites would be catastrophic and would severely impair our ability to forecast, manage, and respond to severe weather and climate disasters," adding, "The Trump administration is forcing the proposed cuts in its FY26 budget request on already appropriated FY25 funds. This is illegal," as quoted in the Futurism farmers, environmentalists, energy companies, anyone needing detailed carbon emission will burn up in the atmosphere, and the other will stop collecting data, ending their missions prematurely.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 launch: When and how to watch it live on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube

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NASA to build nuclear reactor on the moon to stop China's space grab: Report

Trump orders NASA to kill 2 satellites that can function for many more years - the reason will shock all

Trump orders NASA to kill 2 satellites that can function for many more years - the reason will shock all

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 launch: When and how to watch it live on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube

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NASA to build nuclear reactor on the moon to stop China's space grab: Report

Trump orders NASA to kill 2 satellites that can function for many more years - the reason will shock all

Trump orders NASA to kill 2 satellites that can function for many more years - the reason will shock all

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