Nasa is set to fast-track plans for the construction of a nuclear reactor on the Moon and to replace the International Space Station with one built by private industry.
The directives are expected to be announced soon by US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who selected by President Donald Trump as Nasa’s interim administrator in July.
The space agency is undergoing major restructuring, with mass layoffs and budget cuts that will heavily impact its scientific programmes and place a greater focus on crewed exploration.
The push for an accelerated timeline is also a response to China and Russia’s plans for a lunar reactor, which was announced last year as part of their joint International Lunar Research Station, to be launched in 2033.
“While solar power systems have limitations on the Moon, a nuclear reactor could be placed in permanently shadowed areas, where there may be water ice, or generate power continuously during lunar nights, which are 14-and-a-half Earth days long,” Nasa said in a statement last year.
Powering future missions
A nuclear reactor would give Nasa a reliable power source for future missions to the Moon and Mars, where sunlight is limited by long nights and dust storms.
It would help keep astronauts alive, run habitats and support scientific work in those harsh environments.
The agency plans to return humans to the Moon under its Artemis programme and eventually crews to Mars from there.
Nasa has been working on plans for a lunar reactor since 2008 when the Fission Surface Power project was announced. Technical challenges, limited funding and a changing political landscape have brought many delays.
The agency still does not have a confirmed leader. Mr Duffy, who has no background in space exploration, was appointed after the White House abruptly withdrew its nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman.
What is the timeline?
In one of his directives, Mr Duffy is expected to order Nasa to select a contractor within 60 days to lead the design and construction of a 100-kilowatt nuclear fission reactor that could be deployed on the Moon by 2030.
The memo, which has been seen by The National, warns that if China or Russia were to deploy a nuclear system first, they could potentially establish territorial restrictions around it, creating geopolitical challenges for US activities on the Moon.
A second directive aims to speed up the replacement of the ISS with at least two privately-operated space stations.
The goal is to have them ready by the time the station is decommissioned in 2030.
Nasa has been working with companies such as Axiom Space, Blue Origin and Starlab to develop low-Earth orbit destinations, but Mr Duffy’s directive reshapes how the contracts are managed and paid for.
Once the ISS is retired, China’s Tiangong will become the only station in low-Earth orbit.
