Overview

• The interim administrator’s directive tasks NASA with soliciting industry proposals for a 100 kW fission reactor on the Moon by 2030, requiring a project lead appointment and feedback within 60 days.
• The order warns that China and Russia could declare a “keep-out zone” if they deploy a lunar reactor first, potentially restricting U.S. operations on the lunar surface.
• A separate directive mandates that NASA award contracts to at least two private firms within six months to design and build commercial stations to replace the International Space Station by 2030.
• The accelerated reactor plan preserves NASA’s role in nuclear technology after the Pentagon canceled its own nuclear propulsion program, ensuring continued U.S. expertise in fission power.
• Both directives underscore a shift toward public–private partnerships and respond to congressional pressure for faster commercial low-Earth orbit development under the Artemis program.