Latest news with #FissionSurfacePowerProject
News18
2 days ago
- Science
- News18
NASA Aims For Nuclear Reactor On Moon By 2030 To Beat China, Russia
Last Updated: The envisioned system would generate at least 100 kilowatts of power, which is enough to support lunar bases, research missions, and future commercial activity. NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy has urged the NASA to accelerate efforts to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon, emphasising the need to outpace global competitors such as China and Russia. Speaking at a recent space policy conference, Duffy described the development of lunar nuclear power as vital for advancing America's space exploration ambitions and securing its national interests in space, according to ABC News. 'It's about winning the second space race," a senior NASA official told Politico, underscoring the urgency behind the push. Duffy believes that establishing a reliable nuclear power source on the Moon will be a foundational step toward enabling long-term lunar habitation, deeper exploration of Mars, and strengthening the US foothold in space. NASA has been directed to fast-track the development of a surface nuclear reactor with an ambitious target to have it operational on the Moon by 2030. The envisioned system would generate at least 100 kilowatts of power, which is enough to support lunar bases, research missions, and future commercial activity. In his recent proposal, Duffy called on private aerospace and energy companies to submit reactor designs that could be tested and eventually deployed on the lunar surface. Duffy also proposed that the US should accelerate plans to replace the aging International Space Station (ISS) to maintain its leadership in orbital operations and refocus on lunar and Martian exploration. He warned that rivals like China and Russia are advancing their own plans to dominate key areas of space. In fact, in May 2025, China and Russia announced plans to build an automated nuclear power station on the Moon by 2035, raising alarms in the US about potential 'keep-out zones" being declared on the lunar surface. This isn't the first time NASA has invested in nuclear technology for space. In 2022, the agency awarded three contracts totalling $5 million to develop initial reactor concepts under its Fission Surface Power Project. Duffy was appointed acting administrator in July 2025 following the retirement of former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Science
- The Irish Sun
US unveils wild plan to build nuke reactor on the MOON by 2030 in direct challenge to Russia and China in new space race
THE US has unveiled plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon as it seeks to get ahead of China and Russia in the new-age space race. The aim is to mark American territory on the lunar surface by creating a power hub that could supply energy for future missions. 5 Artist's concept of new fission power system on the lunar surface Credit: NASA 5 An artist's impression of how the nuclear power station would look like on moon Credit: 5 A conceptual image of how China and Russia's space station may look Credit: Getty 5 Nasa chief Sean Duffy is set to announce plans to build the reactor by 2030. It comes just weeks after Russia inked a deal with China to build a nuclear power station on the moon as part of their shared lunar space base. The Russian reactor will be used to power the sprawling International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which is being jointly led with China, according to a new agreement signed by the two nations. A directive from Nasa says that such an American nuclear reactor on the moon will establish US 'keep-out' zones on the lunar surface. This is to further stop rivals like Moscow and Beijing from effectively colonising the Moon. It reads: "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 the first. "[Nasa needs to] move quickly to support a future lunar economy [and] strengthen our national security in space." In 2022, Nasa launched a mission known as the Fission Surface Power Project, hoping to establish a source that could provide abundant and continuous power on the moon regardless of environmental conditions. The project is deemed crucial for supporting long-term human settlements on the lunar surface. It could also enable the exploration of deeper space destinations in the future. Watch China's bizarre new plans for lunar base race with egg habitation domes that can resist moonquakes The reactor is expected to generate light and power during the lunar nights when there is no sunshine on the surface, making solar panels ineffective. One lunar night is the equivalent of 14 nights on Earth. And it could also help light up the permanently shadowed parts of the moon to make further space explorations. Inside a nuclear reactor, atoms of certain elements - like uranium-235 - are split when struck by neutrons. This splitting releases energy in the form of heat and additional neutrons. The released neutrons can then strike other atoms, continuing the chain reaction. Reactors are designed to control this chain reaction, preventing it from becoming uncontrolled. A Nasa official told The Telegraph: 'If we are going to have a habitable system on the Moon then we have to bring power.' He said small reactors were already in use on submarines and aircraft carriers. 'They solve the problem,' he added. During the pilot project, Nasa specified that the reactor should stay under six metric tons and be able to produce 40-kilowatt of electrical power. But Mr Duffy has now directed the space agency to seek industry proposals for a minimum 100-kilowatt reactor to launch by 2030. Former Nasa boss Bill Nelson was outspoken about his fears for a sole Chinese presence on the Moon - which are unlikely to soften with Russia's added involvement. China's military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface, Nelson claimed, which would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. China's military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface, Nelson claimed, which would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. Race to the lunar south pole By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter THE far side of the moon, dubbed the 'dark side', has now become the focal point of numerous space exploration programs. India, Russia, China and the US have all been engaged in space developments to study the far point of the moon. It is deemed to be not only a compelling place for future space explorations but also a suitable site for lunar outposts. Scientists believe it could be the most promising location for water-based ice, which will be key to future human habitation on the Moon. It is also one of the moon's most resource-dense areas. The permanently shadowed places on the Moon could contain ice and other minerals, which would be vital resources for future explorers. Scientists reckon there is an abundance of Helium-3 in so-called 'cold traps' littered across the south pole, which can help produce huge amounts of energy here on Earth. The mountain peaks near the pole - which are illuminated for longer periods - could be used to provide solar energy to an outpost. With an outpost on the Moon, scientists will be able to analyse water and other volatile samples dating to the formation of the Solar System. For China, the landing of the Chang'e-6 lunar probe is an important milestone that the country will leverage to expand its space presence on the far side of the moon. It will use the data collected by the space lander to allow Chinese astronauts to set foot on the moon by 2030. "We better watch out that they don't get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research," Nelson told Politico in a 2023 interview. "And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, 'Keep out, we're here, this is our territory.'' China has agreed to share the ILRS with 17 countries, including Egypt, Venezuela, South Africa, Pakistan, Thailand and Azerbaijan. Beijing has been firm that its intentions for ILRS are to collect samples and carry out 'scientific exploration", despite Nasa's suspicions. ILRS will be a permanent, manned lunar base on the Moon's south pole. Slated to be bigger than Disneyland, with a radius of 3.7miles, it is intended to host a command centre, a communication hub, and scientific facilities, alongside a power station. The groundwork will be laid by China's 2028 Chang'e-8 mission, which will be the country's first time landing an astronaut on the Moon. CHINA'S THREATENING SPACE AMBITIONS Under dictator Xi's leadership, China has been brewing ambitious plans to become the leader of the global space rush. The country spent roughly £11.2billion on its space programme in 2023, according to Statista. While China was late to the first round of the space race, Beijing is investing heavily in becoming the second nation to put humans on the Moon by 2030. The Chinese-owned Tiangong space station was completed in late 2022, and has been permanently manned since then. China has doubled the number of satellites it has in orbit since 2019, according to the US Defence Intelligence Agency. Experts also fear that China's monster network of tracking satellites could snoop on Western military operations. Washington and Beijing currently have the most developed plans for securing separate permanent bases on the Moon, out of any other country in the world. And fears are China, if it succeeds in making a giant leap ahead of the US, could threaten aggression in space. A series of non-binding bilateral agreements called the Artemis Accords have been signed between the US and other nations to assure peace in space and on other planets. However, China has stayed out of the agreement, indicating a potential threat from the communist country.
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Science
- Scottish Sun
US unveils wild plan to build nuke reactor on the MOON by 2030 in direct challenge to Russia and China in new space race
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE US has unveiled plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon as it seeks to get ahead of China and Russia in the new-age space race. The aim is to mark American territory on the lunar surface by creating a power hub that could supply energy for future missions. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Artist's concept of new fission power system on the lunar surface Credit: NASA 5 An artist's impression of how the nuclear power station would look like on moon Credit: 5 A conceptual image of how China and Russia's space station may look Credit: Getty 5 Nasa chief Sean Duffy is set to announce plans to build the reactor by 2030. It comes just weeks after Russia inked a deal with China to build a nuclear power station on the moon as part of their shared lunar space base. The Russian reactor will be used to power the sprawling International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which is being jointly led with China, according to a new agreement signed by the two nations. A directive from Nasa says that such an American nuclear reactor on the moon will establish US 'keep-out' zones on the lunar surface. This is to further stop rivals like Moscow and Beijing from effectively colonising the Moon. It reads: "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 the first. "[Nasa needs to] move quickly to support a future lunar economy [and] strengthen our national security in space." In 2022, Nasa launched a mission known as the Fission Surface Power Project, hoping to establish a source that could provide abundant and continuous power on the moon regardless of environmental conditions. The project is deemed crucial for supporting long-term human settlements on the lunar surface. It could also enable the exploration of deeper space destinations in the future. Watch China's bizarre new plans for lunar base race with egg habitation domes that can resist moonquakes The reactor is expected to generate light and power during the lunar nights when there is no sunshine on the surface, making solar panels ineffective. One lunar night is the equivalent of 14 nights on Earth. And it could also help light up the permanently shadowed parts of the moon to make further space explorations. Inside a nuclear reactor, atoms of certain elements - like uranium-235 - are split when struck by neutrons. This splitting releases energy in the form of heat and additional neutrons. The released neutrons can then strike other atoms, continuing the chain reaction. Reactors are designed to control this chain reaction, preventing it from becoming uncontrolled. A Nasa official told The Telegraph: 'If we are going to have a habitable system on the Moon then we have to bring power.' He said small reactors were already in use on submarines and aircraft carriers. 'They solve the problem,' he added. During the pilot project, Nasa specified that the reactor should stay under six metric tons and be able to produce 40-kilowatt of electrical power. But Mr Duffy has now directed the space agency to seek industry proposals for a minimum 100-kilowatt reactor to launch by 2030. Former Nasa boss Bill Nelson was outspoken about his fears for a sole Chinese presence on the Moon - which are unlikely to soften with Russia's added involvement. China's military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface, Nelson claimed, which would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. China's military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface, Nelson claimed, which would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. Race to the lunar south pole By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter THE far side of the moon, dubbed the 'dark side', has now become the focal point of numerous space exploration programs. India, Russia, China and the US have all been engaged in space developments to study the far point of the moon. It is deemed to be not only a compelling place for future space explorations but also a suitable site for lunar outposts. Scientists believe it could be the most promising location for water-based ice, which will be key to future human habitation on the Moon. It is also one of the moon's most resource-dense areas. The permanently shadowed places on the Moon could contain ice and other minerals, which would be vital resources for future explorers. Scientists reckon there is an abundance of Helium-3 in so-called 'cold traps' littered across the south pole, which can help produce huge amounts of energy here on Earth. The mountain peaks near the pole - which are illuminated for longer periods - could be used to provide solar energy to an outpost. With an outpost on the Moon, scientists will be able to analyse water and other volatile samples dating to the formation of the Solar System. For China, the landing of the Chang'e-6 lunar probe is an important milestone that the country will leverage to expand its space presence on the far side of the moon. It will use the data collected by the space lander to allow Chinese astronauts to set foot on the moon by 2030. "We better watch out that they don't get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research," Nelson told Politico in a 2023 interview. "And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, 'Keep out, we're here, this is our territory.'' China has agreed to share the ILRS with 17 countries, including Egypt, Venezuela, South Africa, Pakistan, Thailand and Azerbaijan. Beijing has been firm that its intentions for ILRS are to collect samples and carry out 'scientific exploration", despite Nasa's suspicions. ILRS will be a permanent, manned lunar base on the Moon's south pole. Slated to be bigger than Disneyland, with a radius of 3.7miles, it is intended to host a command centre, a communication hub, and scientific facilities, alongside a power station. The groundwork will be laid by China's 2028 Chang'e-8 mission, which will be the country's first time landing an astronaut on the Moon. CHINA'S THREATENING SPACE AMBITIONS Under dictator Xi's leadership, China has been brewing ambitious plans to become the leader of the global space rush. The country spent roughly £11.2billion on its space programme in 2023, according to Statista. While China was late to the first round of the space race, Beijing is investing heavily in becoming the second nation to put humans on the Moon by 2030. The Chinese-owned Tiangong space station was completed in late 2022, and has been permanently manned since then. China has doubled the number of satellites it has in orbit since 2019, according to the US Defence Intelligence Agency. Experts also fear that China's monster network of tracking satellites could snoop on Western military operations. Washington and Beijing currently have the most developed plans for securing separate permanent bases on the Moon, out of any other country in the world. And fears are China, if it succeeds in making a giant leap ahead of the US, could threaten aggression in space. A series of non-binding bilateral agreements called the Artemis Accords have been signed between the US and other nations to assure peace in space and on other planets. However, China has stayed out of the agreement, indicating a potential threat from the communist country.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Acting NASA chief Sean Duffy to announce plans for building nuclear reactor on the moon
It's a power move. The Trump administration aims to accelerate the construction of a nuclear reactor on the moon, Transportation Secretary and acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy wrote in a memo distributed internally on Monday. The space agency has previously explored the possibility of installing an electricity-generating nuclear reactor on the lunar surface capable of powering a sustained human presence, but Duffy intends to fast-track the project and more than double the reactor's power output, according to documents obtained by The Post. 3 Transportation Secretary and acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon. AP Photo/George Walker IV Advertisement 'To properly advance this critical technology to be able to support a future lunar economy, high power energy generation on Mars, and to strengthen our national security in space, it is imperative the agency move quickly,' Duffy wrote in the memo. 'It is about winning the second space race,' a NASA senior official told Politico, which first reported on Duffy's plans. Duffy's directive will instruct NASA to seek out proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor that would be ready for launch by 2030. Advertisement In 2022, NASA's 'Fission Surface Power Project' awarded design contracts for a 40-kilowatt nuclear reactor, which the agency said is capable of powering 33 households. If another country, such as China or Russia, were to build a reactor on the moon first, it could 'declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States,' Duffy's order noted. The directive calls for NASA to appoint a leader for the reactor project and to get private industry input within 60 days. 3 The planned reactor would be complete by 2030. IndustryAndTravel – Advertisement NASA will look for private spaceflight companies able to get the reactor to the moon by 2030, when China intends to launch a manned moon mission. President Trump named Duffy, 53, the acting head of NASA last month after he withdrew the nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman, an ally of ex-DOGE chief Elon Musk. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! The surprise move came in response to a 'review' of Isaacman's history, Trump said at the time. Advertisement Isaacman has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and causes as recently as October 2024, when he gave more than $41,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Federal Election Commission records show. 3 A NASA senior official reportedly said the plan is about 'winning the second space race.' Alberto Ghizzi Panizza/ Duffy outlined NASA's ambitious objectives — to circle the moon, land and eventually build a base on the surface — last month in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity. 'We're going to go back to the moon during Donald Trump's presidency,' he told Hannity. 'Next year … start of the year, we are going to go back to the moon. We're not going to land. We're going to go around the moon. And then about a year later, we're going to land back on the moon,' Duffy explained. 'And then after that, we're going to set up a base camp. 'We're going to stay on the moon, and what we learn on the moon is what's going to take us to Mars.' A spokesperson for NASA did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
