US Secretary of Transportation and Acting Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Sean Duffy has confirmed that the United States plans to build a nuclear reactor as part of its initiative to establish a lunar base.
At a press conference on the regulation of unmanned vehicles, Duffy stressed that the US is in a lunar race with China and that a reliable source of energy — a nuclear reactor — is needed to create a fully functional base on the moon.
“There is a certain part of the moon that, as everyone knows, is the best. There is ice there. There is sunlight. We want to get there first and claim that territory for America,” the NASA chief said.
The American reactor is expected to have a capacity of about 100 kW. Duffy also explained that hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on studying the feasibility of this technology, and research is now moving into the practical phase.
POLITICO previously reported that the US may accelerate its programme to build a nuclear power plant on the moon in response to plans by Russia and China.
According to the publication, NASA fears that the country that builds the first nuclear power plant on the moon will be able to establish a “no-go zone” that would limit the capabilities of the United States. The agency plans to launch a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor into space by 2030.
