Superpowers Race to Put Nuclear Reactors on the Moon

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Superpowers Race to Put Nuclear Reactors on the Moon

Tech hardwareinfrastructure New York Times

NASA is soliciting contractors to develop a low-maintenance lunar nuclear reactor by 2030 to secure energy for long-term moon base operations.

What: NASA and international competitors are racing to build modular nuclear reactors for the moon's south pole to power resource extraction and future deep-space missions.

Why it matters: Energy autonomy is becoming the primary geopolitical bottleneck for lunar presence, shifting the focus from transport to the development of reliable surface-level infrastructure.

Original article

NASA wants contractors to prepare to build a nuclear reactor that could survive a space voyage and run without maintenance near the south pole by December 2030. The agency is racing for the future of space exploration. The US and China are both racing to establish a moon base to search for resources and to launch missions deeper into the solar system. Controlling access to the Moon's assets is vital to this mission. Both superpowers believe a nuclear reactor is the centerpiece of this ambition.

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