NASA plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon — a space lawyer explains why, and what the law has to say

A close up of the moon in the darkness of space, showing its southern pole.

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

The first space race was about flags and footprints. Now, decades later, landing on the moon is old news. The new race is to build there, and doing so hinges on power.