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3w ago

NASA Solicits Industry Bids for 100 kW Lunar Reactor and Private Station Successors

Under Sean Duffy’s leadership, NASA is reallocating resources to develop a 100 kW lunar reactor to preempt China-Russia exclusion zones, anchoring future crewed exploration.

Imagen conceptual de un reactor nuclear en la superficie lunar. Crédito: NASA.
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 La NASA acelerará los planes para construir un reactor nuclear lunar para el 2030

Overview

  • On July 31, interim NASA chief Sean Duffy signed a directive ordering industry proposals for a 100 kW lunar reactor targeting 2030 deployment and requiring a project lead within 60 days.
  • The directive also calls for bids on commercial replacements for the ISS, aiming to award at least two contracts and deploy private orbital platforms by the end of the decade.
  • NASA’s push for nuclear power stems from concerns that China and Russia’s planned lunar reactor could declare exclusion zones hindering U.S. operations.
  • The 100 kW goal builds on earlier NASA-funded designs for smaller 40 kW reactors awarded in 2022, marking a significant scale-up in lunar energy ambitions.
  • The initiative aligns with a White House budget proposal that boosts funding for crewed spaceflight through 2026 while proposing steep cuts to scientific and climate programs.