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

Illustration of a small, faraway moon base on the hilly, crater-marked surface of the moon.

NASA is wrapping up the design phase of a project to develop concepts for a small, electricity-generating nuclear fission reactor for use on the moon.

The Fission Surface Power Project aims to develop safe, clean and reliable energy sources on the moon, where each nighttime lasts around 14.5 Earth days. Such a system could play a big role in the agency's Artemis program for lunar exploration.