Sean Duffy, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, who also serves as the acting head of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), will announce plans this week to accelerate the construction of a nuclear reactor on the Moon, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to Monrose.de.
According to the agency’s directive, the first country to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon could “declare a no-go zone that would significantly limit U.S. activities.” The document also stipulates that NASA should appoint a project leader within 60 days and receive proposals from companies to launch a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030. Previously, the plans were less ambitious: since 2022, the agency has been funding research to create a 40-kilowatt reactor by the early 2030s. According to reports, Duffy proposed a directive to replace the International Space Station with several commercial stations. The agency plans to sign a contract with a manufacturer within six months. Among the companies interested in the project are Axiom Space, Vast, and Blue Origin. These decisions could allow the U.S. to outpace Chinese projects aimed at exploring the Moon and Mars. “This is about winning the second space race,” said a high-ranking agency official.
In May, Russia’s state corporation “Roscosmos” and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) signed a memorandum of cooperation to build a lunar power station. It will be part of the International Lunar Station, which Russia and China plan to build by 2036. According to the general director of “Roscosmos” Dmitry Rogozin, 13 countries have joined the project, including Belarus, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Serbia, Senegal, Djibouti, and Ethiopia. As reported by Reuters, Russia and China may build a nuclear power plant on the Moon, which they plan to use to supply energy to the International Lunar Station.
Earlier we wrote that NASA captures mysterious hole on Mars: image raises new questions.
