The Trump administration has been quietly expediting plans to put a nuclear plant on the moon in a geopolitical race with China and Russia to control the future of space.
NASA has awarded contracts to three companies to develop small nuclear reactors that could supply power in space by 2030, according to Politico which published a list of “under-the-radar developments” during President Donald Trump‘s first year in office during his second term.
The move was aimed to help prepare the United States for future space missions and could cost billions of dollars, although the space agency reportedly still needs to find the funding for the initiative.
Start-ups and aerospace firms, including Lockheed Martin, have begun to craft plans for NASA’s “call to industry” request that asks companies to give feedback and updates on its plans to create a fission power system on the moon.
“The directive orders the reactors to provide at least 100 kilowatts of power — more than double what the agency had previously envisioned,” Politico reported.
Part of the motivation to quicken the project is connected to its competition with China, a geopolitical race as both countries are working “to build long-term bases on the moon, and nuclear reactors will be key to powering those outposts.”
Russia and China have reportedly discussed potentially building a joint nuclear power plant by 2035 — prompting NASA to expedite its own plans.
“Officials argue that whoever does it first will write the rules of the road for space,” Politico reported.
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