CAPE CANVERAL, Fla. — NASA is racing to develop a nuclear power source on the Moon. In a new directive, Acting Administrator Sean Duffy instructed the agency to expedite the development of Fission Surface Power (FSP)—compact nuclear reactors designed to produce sustainable, high-output energy for human missions to the Moon and Mars.
The goal is to have a reactor on the moon by early 2030, surpassing China and Russia, who have announced joint plans to deploy their own lunar reactor by the mid-2030s.
Keith Cowing of NASA Watch told Eyewitness News, “It’s efficient, cost-effective energy that could power future spacecraft to Mars and beyond.”
The system must provide at least 100 kilowatts of electricity (100kWe)—sufficient to support a sustained human presence, lunar habitats, and in-situ resource utilization. NASA has used nuclear material in space since the 1960s, but this will be the first attempt to deploy a reactor on another world.
“There’s a high chance this system would launch from Florida’s Space Coast,” said Dr. Don Platt, Florida Tech’s Department Head for Aerospace, Physics and Space Sciences. Platt added there’s a possibility that any future design could allow for safe, inert launches—activating only once it’s on the lunar surface.
Acting Administrator Duffy warned that the first country to deploy a lunar reactor could claim operational zones that threaten the U.S. Artemis program and other international exploration efforts.
NASA will issue a request for proposals from industry within the next 60 days.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2025 Cox Media Group
