The United States may soon begin building a nuclear reactor on the Moon, as part of its growing focus on space missions. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who is also the interim head of NASA, is expected to announce the plan soon, according to a Politico report.

This move signals that the idea of placing a nuclear power station on the Moon is no longer a background mission; it could soon become a major project for NASA.

NASA has been working on the idea of a nuclear reactor for years. Earlier, the agency had funded a project to design a 40-kilowatt reactor for use on the Moon. The target year for launch: 2030.

Now, under Duffy's leadership, NASA has reportedly been asked to seek proposals from companies to build a larger, 100-kilowatt reactor, also to be launched by 2030.

“It is about winning the second space race,” a senior NASA official told Politico, referring to growing competition from China and Russia in outer space.

China and Russia are also in race

China and Russia have already joined hands to build a nuclear-powered station on the Moon by 2035. In response, the U.S. government has proposed a budget boost for human spaceflight projects in 2026.

This nuclear reactor would help power human activities on the Moon, including a planned lunar base. That base could one day be used to launch deeper missions to Mars.

Experts say whichever country builds the first reactor in space might have an upper hand in future space exploration. A directive to NASA warned that the first country to do so could even “declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States.”

Apart from the Moon mission, Duffy is also focusing on replacing the International Space Station (ISS), which is expected to retire before 2030.

NASA has been told to move quickly and select at least two private companies within six months to build a new space station. The goal is to have it in orbit by the end of the decade.

At the moment, China is the only country with a permanently crewed space station, known as Tiangong.

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