The US space agency NASA has confirmed its plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon.
01/14/2026, 04:4101/14/2026, 04:41
The reactor should be operational by 2030, NASA and the US Department of Energy announced.
The moon continues to be the target of US nuclear power plant plans.Image: keystone
“America is committed to returning to the moon, building the infrastructure needed to stay, and making the investments needed for the next big leap to Mars and beyond,” said NASA CEO Jared Isaacman. “To achieve this future, nuclear energy must be generated.”
NASA’s plans had already become known last summer. However, exact details have not yet been provided. NASA’s research into this has been going on for a long time. With the “Artemis” program, NASA wants to put people on the moon again for the first time in more than 50 years.
The background to the plans for the nuclear reactor on the moon is, among other things, the growing competition with China. Russia also floated the idea of a nuclear reactor on the moon many years ago. Both countries are currently planning a joint facility. (sda/dpa)