Temporary NASA and Transport Minister Sean Duffy will announce accelerated plans to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon and mark their first main political step in NASA, reported Politico and quoted internal documents.
The first reactor on the month by 2030
While NASA has long discussed the potential of nuclear energy on the lunar surface, Duffy’s plan determines the definitive timeline for a 100-keatt nuclear reactor to be functional by 2030, according to documents obtained by Politico. Previously, NASA financed work on a smaller 40 kilowatt system.
The Directive to be issued this week will order the space agency to obtain proposals from the private sector and within 60 days to determine the project manager. Pressure comes in the middle of growing concerns about the project of China and the Russian collaborative lunar foundation and their potential to establish dominance in space.
Concerns ‘keep-out’
The internal directive reportedly warns that the first country to deploy a reactor on the moon could create a “breeders’ zone and reduce access to opponents like the US.
This geopolitical interest controls the aggressive timeline of administration. The news outlet notes that China plans to land astronauts on the month around 2030 – the same target date for the American reactor.
The replacement of the space station also favored
In addition to the lunar reactor, Duffy’s Directive reportedly requires to speed up the replacing the aging international space station (ISS). According to Politico, NASA focuses on the award of contracts at least two developers of commercial space stations within six months of the formal application.
The aim of NASA is to have a commercial orbit station by 2030, avoiding a delay that would leave the Chinese Tiangong as the only one permanently crew of the space station.
(Tagstotranslate) Sean Duffy
