NASA Logo. Archival photo.
Washington D.C. — According to the newspaper Politico, citing internal documents and officials, Sean Duffy, the acting director of NASA and current U.S. Secretary of Transportation, is expected to announce plans this week for the construction of a nuclear reactor on the Moon.
The publication indicates that Duffy will reveal “accelerated plans” for this lunar power project. Internal documents reviewed by Politico suggest that NASA has been discussing the lunar reactor`s construction, with intentions to establish clearer timelines for the endeavor.
A senior NASA official reportedly told the newspaper that these initiatives are crucial for the U.S. to “win the second space race.” Furthermore, Politico reports that Duffy has proposed a directive aimed at accelerating the replacement of the International Space Station (ISS).
The reactor directive instructs NASA to solicit proposals from industry for launching a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor to the Moon by 2030. The directive also highlights a strategic concern: the first nation to establish a reactor on the Moon could potentially “declare a no-go zone,” significantly hindering U.S. operations. This reflects NASA`s growing apprehension regarding the lunar ambitions of Russia and China.
Earlier, Dmitry Bakanov, Director General of Roscosmos, announced that a memorandum of cooperation was signed with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) in May 2025. This agreement focuses on developing a lunar power station, which will be a key component of the joint International Lunar Research Station project.
China, for its part, aims to land humans on the Moon by 2030 for scientific research purposes.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth