Transport secretary Sean Duffy will announce this week accelerated plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon – Politico learns. NASA has already considered the construction of a reactor on the surface of the moon, but according to the documents we obtained, this time a more specific schedule is determined, and this decision was made when the agency is struggling with huge budget cuts. This move also emphasizes how much Duffy, who met with resistance by legislators in connection with performing two functions, wants to play a role in shaping NASA's policy.
“It's about winning the second space race,” a high -ranking NASA official told us.
President Donald Trump appointed Duffy's temporary administrator in July after the sudden withdrawal of the nomination of the billionaire Jared Isaacman.
Duffy also issued a directive on faster exchange of an international space station, which is the next NASA goal. These two moves can help accelerate American efforts to reach the moon and Mars – a goal that China is also striving for.
These plans are in line with the pressure of the White House, which wants more manned flights into space. The government proposed NASA to increase funds for space flights involving people in 2026, even despite significant cuts in other space programs, including almost 50 % reduction of funds for scientific missions.
The reactor directive orders the Agency to collect proposals from the industry regarding a 100 kilowaty nuclear reactor, which is to be launched by 2030. This is a key element of the return of astronauts to the surface of the moon. NASA has previously financed research on a 40 kilowatt reactor for use on the moon, planning to launch a reactor in the early 1930s.
The first country that will have a reactor on the moon will be able to “announce a closed zone, which will significantly impede the actions of the United States,” says the directive, which testifies to the fears of the White House related to the joint moon project of China and Russia.
The Directive also requires NASA to designate a project leader and collect the industry's opinions within 60 days. The agency is looking for companies capable of launching a reactor until 2030, because it is then that China is planning to send the first astronaut to the moon.
The nuclear initiative means that NASA will continue to participate in the development of nuclear technology, although the Pentagon recently canceled the nuclear -powered missile engines program.
The space station directive is aimed at replacing the aging and leaky international space station commercial stations by changing the method of granting contracts by the Agency. NASA plans to grant at least two companies a contract within six months of announcing the invitation to submit offers. Officials hope that the new station will be placed in space until 2030. Otherwise, only China will have a space station with a fixed crew in orbit.
