Reckon you can put a nuclear reactor on the Moon?
(2025/08/15)
- Reference: 1755273200
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/08/15/nuclear_moon/
- Source link:
NASA's plans to put a nuclear reactor on the Moon have moved on – the agency has now put out a Request For Information (RFI) to gauge industry interest in the project.
An RFI is not an invitation to bid for the work. Interested parties [1]need to register their interest by 21 August, and only later, there's a chance that they could be used to "finalize a potential opportunity later this year." It comes after a [2]directive from NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy that called for the US to be the first to put a nuclear reactor on the Moon.
Things will need to move fast if the agency is to meet the goal of being ready to launch by the first quarter of fiscal year 2030.
[3]
Dubbed the Fission Surface Power System, the reactor must have a mass of less than 15 metric tons, have a minimum power output of 100 kWe, and utilize a [4]closed Brayton cycle power conversion system .
[5]
[6]
NASA is no stranger to nuclear power. It had rovers and spacecraft powered by the technology and has looked into Brayton cycle power conversion for nuclear electric propulsion on [7]Mars missions [PDF].
The Apollo missions used Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) to power experiments to be left on the lunar surface. These contained plutonium-238, and one returned to Earth on Apollo 13, remaining on the lunar module. The container for the plutonium is now at the [8]bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and no release of radiation has been detected.
[9]
One hundred kilowatts of power is, however, an order of magnitude greater than the nuclear power sources launched by NASA to date. It would be enough to power the International Space Station (ISS), which currently charges its batteries using electricity generated by solar arrays attached to the outpost.
[10]NASA boss calls for nuclear reactor on the Moon
[11]Why blow up satellites when you can just hack them?
[12]Mistakenly sold NASA command trailer could be yours – for $199K
[13]Cape Canaveral marks 75 years since its first rocket launch
It would also be sufficient to power equipment on the Moon during lunar nights or in locations without sunlight, as well as to support a potential base on Mars, where solar power is weaker and dust in the atmosphere can block out the Sun for extended periods.
Steve Sinacore, Fission Surface Power program executive at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, USA, described the call for industry input as "an important step toward engaging the commercial space industry in powering the lunar economy and enabling future human exploration on Mars."
Sinacore added: "Developing a safe, reliable, and efficient power supply is key to unlocking the future of human space exploration and ensuring America retains its dominance in space." ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/glenn/nasa-seeks-industry-feedback-on-fission-surface-power/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/08/nasa_boss_calls_for_nuclear/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aJ9ZmNVLpITvPuNhV1AgqgAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/1.20384
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJ9ZmNVLpITvPuNhV1AgqgAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJ9ZmNVLpITvPuNhV1AgqgAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20220002047/downloads/NETS_2022_Brayton_Cycle_Power_Conversion_Model_Reviewed_Updated.pdf
[8] https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/programs/radioisotope-power-systems/safety/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJ9ZmNVLpITvPuNhV1AgqgAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/08/nasa_boss_calls_for_nuclear/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/07/balck_hat_satellites/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/06/nasa_airstream_trailer/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/29/first_rocket_cape_canaveral/
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
An RFI is not an invitation to bid for the work. Interested parties [1]need to register their interest by 21 August, and only later, there's a chance that they could be used to "finalize a potential opportunity later this year." It comes after a [2]directive from NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy that called for the US to be the first to put a nuclear reactor on the Moon.
Things will need to move fast if the agency is to meet the goal of being ready to launch by the first quarter of fiscal year 2030.
[3]
Dubbed the Fission Surface Power System, the reactor must have a mass of less than 15 metric tons, have a minimum power output of 100 kWe, and utilize a [4]closed Brayton cycle power conversion system .
[5]
[6]
NASA is no stranger to nuclear power. It had rovers and spacecraft powered by the technology and has looked into Brayton cycle power conversion for nuclear electric propulsion on [7]Mars missions [PDF].
The Apollo missions used Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) to power experiments to be left on the lunar surface. These contained plutonium-238, and one returned to Earth on Apollo 13, remaining on the lunar module. The container for the plutonium is now at the [8]bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and no release of radiation has been detected.
[9]
One hundred kilowatts of power is, however, an order of magnitude greater than the nuclear power sources launched by NASA to date. It would be enough to power the International Space Station (ISS), which currently charges its batteries using electricity generated by solar arrays attached to the outpost.
[10]NASA boss calls for nuclear reactor on the Moon
[11]Why blow up satellites when you can just hack them?
[12]Mistakenly sold NASA command trailer could be yours – for $199K
[13]Cape Canaveral marks 75 years since its first rocket launch
It would also be sufficient to power equipment on the Moon during lunar nights or in locations without sunlight, as well as to support a potential base on Mars, where solar power is weaker and dust in the atmosphere can block out the Sun for extended periods.
Steve Sinacore, Fission Surface Power program executive at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, USA, described the call for industry input as "an important step toward engaging the commercial space industry in powering the lunar economy and enabling future human exploration on Mars."
Sinacore added: "Developing a safe, reliable, and efficient power supply is key to unlocking the future of human space exploration and ensuring America retains its dominance in space." ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/glenn/nasa-seeks-industry-feedback-on-fission-surface-power/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/08/nasa_boss_calls_for_nuclear/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aJ9ZmNVLpITvPuNhV1AgqgAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/1.20384
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJ9ZmNVLpITvPuNhV1AgqgAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJ9ZmNVLpITvPuNhV1AgqgAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20220002047/downloads/NETS_2022_Brayton_Cycle_Power_Conversion_Model_Reviewed_Updated.pdf
[8] https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/programs/radioisotope-power-systems/safety/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJ9ZmNVLpITvPuNhV1AgqgAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/08/nasa_boss_calls_for_nuclear/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/07/balck_hat_satellites/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/06/nasa_airstream_trailer/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/29/first_rocket_cape_canaveral/
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/