\u201cThe whole proposal is cock-eyed and runs against the sound management of a space program that is now being starved of money,\u201d national security analyst, nuclear expert and author Joseph Cirincione told The Independent.<\/p>\n
Nuclear has been used in space since the 1960s. That\u2019s nothing new. The U.S. launched its first test reactor into orbit in 1965, and the former Soviet Union has sent up dozens more. <\/p>\n
NASA says that a new 100-kilowatt reactor could be used to power a future base at the lunar South Pole, and fuel prospective missions to Mars and beyond. Nuclear would help to fill gaps in solar energy that occur when that side of the moon is in darkness for two weeks. <\/p>\n
The majority of space experts have said that placing a reactor on the moon is possible, so, why is NASA\u2019s current plan \u201ccock-eyed?\u201d The problem is the proposed timeline.<\/p>\n
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NASA says that a new 100-kilowatt reactor could be used to power a future base at the lunar South Pole, and fuel prospective missions to Mars and beyond (NASA)<\/p>\n
Interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, who also serves as President Donald Trump\u2019s Secretary of Transportation, pushed to expedite the project, detailed in a memo this week. Duffy said the administration wanted to have a nuclear reactor ready to launch by 2030.<\/a> Earlier this year, China and Russia announced a plan to build a nuclear reactor for a lunar base by 2035. <\/p>\n \u201cThe first country to do so could potentially declare a \u2018keep-out\u2019 zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first,\u201d Duffy said.<\/p>\n NASA first announced in 2021 that it would put a reactor on the moon \u201cwithin a decade.\u201d In 2024, NASA then said that their target date for delivery a reactor to the Earth-based launchpad was the early 2030s. But, Cirincione says essentially no progress has been made. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was in the last Trump administration that NASA had put out a press release, they had a YouTube video, they had these announcements about how they\u2019re going to develop these small, modular nuclear reactors for use on the moon, and it was going to be ready by 2026,\u201d said Cirincione, who is vice-chair of the Center for International Policy, a non-profit that advocates for a peaceful approach to foreign policy.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, really? So, where is it?\u201d <\/p>\n Ultimately, the expert believes a nuclear reactor on the moon could take up to 20 years to become a reality.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n NASA would need a working launch vehicle, a small and adaptable reactor, and the ability to land on the moon. Right now, the SpaceX Starship is the only vehicle option \u2013 but it has exploded during several of its test flights. (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n NASA would need a working launch vehicle, a small and adaptable reactor, and the ability to land on the moon. Right now, the SpaceX Starship is the only vehicle option \u2013 but it has exploded during several of its test flights. <\/a><\/p>\n NASA has been working with Boeing on a Space Launch System – the main competitor to Space X\u2019s Starship – but that program would be canceled under the Trump administration\u2019s proposed cuts which slash 24 percent from NASA\u2019s overall budget.<\/p>\n Landing on the moon is no picnic, and attempts by Japanese space companies in 2023 and 2025 ended in crashes<\/a>.<\/p>\n There are also the scientific and technological advances needed for the nuclear reactors. The reactors must be able to withstand harsh conditions on the moon, including temperatures swings from 250 degrees Fahrenheit during the day to minus 400 degrees at night.<\/p>\n \u201cSmall modular nuclear reactors, it turns out, are always just around the corner \u2013 a corner you never get to turn,\u201d Cirincione said.<\/p>\n Many scientists and nuclear energy experts have shared in Cirincione\u2019s skepticism.<\/p>\n Dr. Kathryn Huff, a former nuclear energy official at the U.S. Department of Energy, and professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, wrote in a Bluesky social media post that she\u2019s not \u201cbullish\u201d<\/a> on \u201cunrealistic timelines.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe 2030 target does not align well with recent budgetary trends\u2026\u201d she explained in a statement, <\/a>shared by the university. \u201cAccelerating the FSP program could come at the expense of other critical priorities, including earth science, climate observation and space-based weather forecasting \u2013 all core elements of NASA\u2019s public-serving mission.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n An artist\u2019s concept shows a fission power system on the surface of the moon. The system would also eventually be used on Mars (NASA)<\/p>\n![\"NASA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-1252014025.jpeg\")
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