Ambitious: NASA pushes to build a moon nuclear reactor by 2030

The United States has opened a front in a new space race. NASA plans to place a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030, as China and Russia work on their own lunar energy project.

New space race with China and Russia?

Sean Duffy, acting director of NASA, announced in early August that the agency is aiming to deploy a fully operational nuclear reactor on the Moon’s surface by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, China and Russia signed a cooperation agreement this past May, committing to build a joint nuclear energy facility on the Moon, likely around 2035. This is part of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project, which plans to use an automated reactor as the primary energy source.

Officials in Washington are concerned that if the Chinese-Russian project is completed first, the two countries could establish “exclusion zones” around their installations. In practice, this would prevent other nations from setting up facilities in the same area, particularly around the Moon’s south pole, where water ice is abundant and considered a prime target by all major space powers.

All three superpowers aim to build lasting lunar bases—moves that could shape humanity’s expansion beyond Earth for decades.

Where could the first lunar nuclear reactor be built?

Experts believe the most likely site is the Moon’s south pole. In recent years, this region has become one of the top priorities in global space exploration. As part of its Artemis program, NASA is also focusing on this area, where significant water ice reserves are hidden in permanently shadowed craters. These ice deposits are potentially vital—serving as drinking water and supporting daily life, but also as a source of hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis, which can then be converted into rocket fuel.

“Water ice can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen, effectively allowing the Moon to serve as a kind of ‘gas station’ for rockets headed to Mars,” -said Simeon Barber, a researcher at the Open University.

Commercial partners join NASA’s lunar nuclear program

According to a report by SpaceNews, NASA has entered a new phase in developing the lunar nuclear reactor. The project is no longer treated solely as a government research initiative—commercial partners are now being brought on board. This means the program could serve not only scientific and political goals, but also open up significant industrial and economic opportunities.

Private sector involvement offers several advantages:

• It could lead to faster development and more cost-effective solutions,
• Create new markets in the space industry, such as energy systems, specialised materials, and future lunar infrastructure,
• Allow NASA to pursue the reactor project not alone, but through partnerships and market-driven strategies.

The risks and legal challenges of nuclear power in space

Building a nuclear reactor on the Moon raises significant technical and legal concerns. Transporting nuclear materials from Earth carries risks—such as a launch failure that could release radioactive substances. While some experts note the amount of required fuel is relatively small, the risks must and can be managed with strict safety protocols.

“As a space law expert, I focus on humanity’s long-term development in space. I don’t see this as an arms race, but as a competition for strategic infrastructure. And in that context, infrastructure equals influence.”
– said Michelle L. D. Hanlon, professor of air and space law, in an interview with The Conversation.

The legal framework is equally murky: the 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits territorial claims and the deployment of weapons of mass destruction on the Moon, but it does not explicitly ban the use of nuclear energy. The real legal gray area lies with the creation of “exclusion zones,” which, even if justified on safety grounds, could effectively enable territorial control.

Thus, while nuclear reactors may offer solutions to some of the greatest challenges in space exploration, they also come with serious risks. The next decade will reveal whether the world’s major powers will use this technology to collaborate—or to carve out space for themselves in an increasingly competitive lunar landscape.

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Featured image: Nasa.gov