Nuclear reactor on the moon? NASA’S race to transform space travel

NASA is fast-tracking a plan to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030 under a new directive from the agency’s interim administrator Sean Duffy.

The plan revives a decades-old dream of scaling up nuclear power in space, a shift that would unlock futuristic possibilities and test legal and regulatory guidelines about the use of extraterrestrial resources and environments.

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In addition to developing a robust safety strategy, the race to bring nuclear power to the moon will blaze new trails in space law and policy. Whatever nation or entity gets there first will likely establish what the directive calls a “keep-out zone” for safety and security. These zones, which may cover a few square miles, would prevent competitors from entering the same space.

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Space nuclear power has seemingly been on the horizon for generations, but many experts think its moment has finally arrived and that we should strike while the iron (or rather, uranium) is hot. If nuclear reactors take hold in space, it will supercharge the possibilities of exploration and industry.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here