The US really wants a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030. 'Achieving this future requires harnessing nuclear power,' NASA chief says

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

NASA is serious about setting up a nuclear power plant on the moon by 2030.

For a few years now, the agency has been working to develop a nuclear reactor that could power one or more bases on the lunar surface, which NASA wants to establish via its Artemis program.

This past December, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling to begin construction of such a base by 2030 — and for a nuclear reactor to be ready to launch toward the lunar surface by that same year.

And on Tuesday (Jan. 13), NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding that reaffirms their commitment to meet that ambitious deadline.

"Under President Trump’s national space policy, America is committed to returning to the moon, building the infrastructure to stay and making the investments required for the next giant leap to Mars and beyond,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Achieving this future requires harnessing nuclear power," he added. "This agreement enables closer collaboration between NASA and the Department of Energy to deliver the capabilities necessary to usher in the Golden Age of space exploration and discovery."

Nuclear power makes sense for crewed outposts in deep-space locales such as the moon and Mars, many exploration advocates say. Fission systems can generate electricity continuously for years without the need to refuel, and they aren't affected by changing weather or sunlight conditions.

Artist's impression of two astronauts working on the moon during Artemis lunar operations. (Image credit: NASA)

NASA and DOE have worked together on space nuclear energy systems for more than half a century: Over the decades, many of the agency's deep-space robotic explorers, such as its Cassini Saturn orbiter and Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers, have used radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) as a power source.

"History shows that when American science and innovation come together, from the Manhattan Project to the Apollo mission, our nation leads the world to reach new frontiers once thought impossible," U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in the same statement. "This agreement continues that legacy."