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'We want to get there first and claim that for America': NASA chief
explains push for nuclear reactor on the moon (video)
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By Brett Tingley published 21 hours ago
"If we're going to engage in the race to the moon and the race to Mars,
we have to get our act together."







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NASA's interim administrator says his call for the United States to put
a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface by 2030 is part of a new race to
the moon.

Agency chief Sean Duffy made the remarks during a press conference
titled "Unleashing American Drone Dominance" hosted by the U.S.
Department of Transportation (which Duffy also runs) on Aug. 5.
According to Duffy, the reactor is part of a new space race, one with
the ultimate goal of establishing a sustained human presence on the moon.

"We're in a race to the moon, in a race with China to the moon. And to
have a base on the moon, we need energy," Duffy told reporters in
response to a question about reports that surfaced earlier in the week
about his ambitious directive to launch a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor
to the moon by 2030. Such a reactor would produce roughly the same
amount of energy as an average U.S. household uses every 3.5 days.

a man in a blue suit speaks in front of a plaque reading "united states department of transportation"

Sean Duffy, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, speaks during a news
conference in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. (Image
credit: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Duffy went further than simply saying he wants the United States to beat
China to the moon, however. The acting NASA chief said that he wants the
U.S. to claim the "best" part of the moon for itself.

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Duffy said. "We have ice there. We have sunlight there. We want to get
there first and claim that for America."

Because the moon rotates so slowly, the lunar surface experiences two
weeks of darkness at at a time. That means solar power won't be
efficient to power a crewed outpost  — most robotic lunar rovers can't
even survive the lunar night.

In addition, NASA and other international space agencies are interested
in establishing bases in the moon's south polar region, near permanently shadowed craters where water ice is thought to be abundant. But because
these areas are permanently dark, solar power won't cut it. Having
another source of energy production could enable human explorers to
venture into new areas where the sun literally doesn't shine.

Duffy was quick to point out that putting a nuclear reactor on the moon
doesn't mean launching an active reactor atop a rocket. "We're not
launching this live. That's obviously  — if you have any questions about that, no, we're not launching it live," Duffy pointed out.

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Related Stories:
— NASA aiming to build nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030

— Nuclear power on the moon: NASA wraps up 1st phase of ambitious
reactor project

— 'We're in a space race.' NASA chief says US 'better watch out' for
China's moon goals

NASA plans on returning human explorers to the surface of the moon with
its Artemis 3 mission, currently scheduled for no earlier than mid-2027.
That mission will see a yet-to-be-named crew land near the moon's south
pole for a six-day stay on the lunar surface  — twice as long as the
Apollo astronauts spent on the moon.

The interim NASA administrator went on to compare the two moon
exploration programs, downplaying the public reach of his agency's own
Artemis program. "A lot of people don't know even what Artemis is.
Everyone knew what Apollo was. We all knew. The whole world knew what
Apollo was. We were going to the moon; Artemis is, we're going back."

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions,
night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment,
let us know at: [email protected].

Brett Tingley
Brett Tingley
Managing Editor, Space.com
Brett is curious about emerging aerospace technologies, alternative
launch concepts, military space developments and uncrewed aircraft
systems. Brett's work has appeared on Scientific American, The War Zone, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery and more. Brett
has English degrees from Clemson University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In his free time, Brett enjoys skywatching
throughout the dark skies of the Appalachian mountains.

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