US Preparing To Build Nuclear Reactor Within 5 Years to establish A Human Settlement On The Moon. The US space agency NASA, is set to accelerate its plan to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030. NASA has taken this project forward with the ambition of paving the way for permanent human settlement on the lunar surface.
The plan is being accelerated after US President Donald Trump appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the interim head of NASA.
China and Russia aim to build an autonomous nuclear power plant on the moon by 2035. India, Japan, and several other countries are also racing to explore the lunar surface and establish permanent human settlements there.
“Advancing this critical technology is essential to building a future lunar economy, powering Mars, and strengthening our national security in space,” The New York Times quoted Duffy as saying, “and the agency must act quickly.”
In 2022, it also awarded three companies a $5 million contract to design a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface.
The announcements by China and Russia are said to have spurred NASA to accelerate its efforts. The Artemis Accords are also behind this. This is an agreement signed by seven countries that establishes principles for how countries should cooperate on the lunar surface.
The US is concerned that if China or Russia set up a reactor or base on the moon, they could declare it a security zone and restrict access to the surrounding area.
However, NASA’s ambitious plan and timeline have been cast in doubt by budget cuts. The Trump administration is reportedly planning to cut NASA’s budget by 24 per cent next year, which will cut funding for many science programs, including the Mars Sample Return Mission, which aims to bring back samples of rocks and soil from Mars to Earth.