A Nuclear Reactor on the Moon? U.S. Races to Deploy Nuclear Power in Space Amid China-Russia Push

Micah Hanks·
nuclear reactor on the moon
(Credit: NASA)

Welcome to this installment of The Intelligence Brief… This week, a newly surfaced NASA directive reveals a heightened effort by the United States to deploy nuclear reactors on the Moon and Mars, with the first launch targeted for late 2029, as part of a broader push to maintain strategic dominance in space. In our analysis, we’ll be examining 1) how the directive calls for the appointment of a nuclear power czar to select commercial reactor proposals within six months, 2) the escalating space race with China and Russia, who aim to land a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s, 3) the benefits of compact fission reactors over solar power in extreme space environments, and 4) why experts say the U.S. must act swiftly as delays continue to plague the Artemis program.

Quote of the Week

“We’re in a race to the moon, in a race with China to the moon. And to have a base on the moon, we need energy.” 

– Sean Duffy, U.S. Transportation Secretary, interim NASA Administrator

RECENT NEWS from The Debrief

U.S. Accelerates Plans to Deploy Nuclear Reactors on the Moon and Mars

The United States is reportedly fast-tracking its efforts to establish nuclear power systems on the Moon, and eventually on Mars, according to new details released this week.

The plans, according to an internal NASA directive that surfaced in recent days, aim for the initial deployment of these power systems by late 2029.

Signed by acting NASA Administrator and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on July 31, the internal memo highlights growing concerns about the U.S.’s strategic competition over the Moon and its resources with rivals like China and Russia, which have announced joint ambitions aiming to place similar nuclear power systems on the Moon by as early as the mid-2030s.

The Race for Off-World Energy Dominance 

The document that surfaced this week frames the U.S. initiative as a crucial move to preserve American leadership in space exploration, while working to avoid being outpaced in a new and, at times, unpredictable emerging era of off-planet energy infrastructure.

“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,” the directive states, warning that that whichever nation lands a nuclear reactor first could potentially declare a “keep-out zone,” capable of undermining the United States’ planned Artemis missions and limiting future access to the Moon’s south pole region.

In response to such concerns, the recent directive calls for the immediate appointment of a U.S. nuclear power czar, tasked with selecting a pair of commercial proposals to initiate plans for an American-operated lunar nuclear power supply within six months.

The designs are expected to deliver reliable fission power systems that are compact, while also capable of operating without the need for solar energy, for deployment on both the lunar surface and for future missions to Mars.

The Promise of Fission Power in Space

This is not the first time NASA or its partners have explored the idea of using nuclear fission reactors in space. Since the dawn of the new millennium, the American space agency has invested approximately $200 million in the development of small, lightweight nuclear systems, although none have yet reached flight readiness.

In 2023, the most recent push came as three industry study contracts were awarded for the exploration of 40-kilowatt reactor designs—those would produce enough energy to continuously power 30 homes for a decade.

Unlike solar power systems, nuclear fission systems can provide a constant energy source, regardless of local environmental conditions. With two-week-long lunar nights, as well as the frequent harsh conditions that include temperature extremes and dust storms on Mars, nuclear energy has long been viewed as an ideal solution for sustaining human operations on distant celestial bodies.

Long-Term Vision for Mars

Late last year, NASA made a formal commitment to utilizing nuclear power for Mars missions, marking the first of seven strategic steps toward enabling human exploration of the Red Planet.

Based on industry feedback cited in the July 31, 2025 NASA directive that surfaced this week, long-term surface operations on Mars will require at least 100 kilowatts of power to support life support systems and other technologies, which include as vital functions like communications capabilities and on-location resource utilization such as extracting water from surface ice or by other novel methods.

According to the NASA memo, the proposed systems would be delivered by a heavy-class lander capable of transporting up to 15 metric tons of payload, with a goal of being “ready to launch by the first quarter of FY30,” meaning that actual deployment could begin as soon as 2029.

Setbacks and Strategic Concerns

NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and establish a lasting presence near the lunar south pole, has seen several setbacks.

Currently, Artemis 3, the first planned crewed landing mission, is projected for 2027, although many experts see the date as being too optimistic considering the readiness challenges NASA faces, as well as problems that have arisen among its partners with SpaceX and its Starship, which will function as the mission’s lunar lander.

Concurrently, China’s aspirations for future lunar missions continue to advance, with its space exploration agenda focused on a 2030 target for the launch of its inaugural crewed lunar mission. Over the last several years, Beijing’s rising competitiveness in spaceflight has presented a growing concern for the U.S. in terms of ensuring that the American space program isn’t outpaced by its rivals, potentially impacting the feasibility of future space missions.

“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,” the internal NASA directive states.

That concludes this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief. You can read past editions of our newsletter at our website, or if you found this installment online, don’t forget to subscribe and get future email editions from us here. Also, if you have a tip or other information you’d like to send along directly to me, you can email me at micah [@] thedebrief [dot] org, or reach me on X: @MicahHanks.

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