The objective is no longer just to “return to the Moon”, but to stay there. Last December, Donald Trump signed an executive order explicitly calling for the start of construction of an inhabited lunar base by 2030, with, in the same timetable, the sending of an operational nuclear reactor to the surface of our satellite.
Nuclear power first for the Moon… then Mars
This roadmap was formalized at the beginning of the week by the signing of an agreement between NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE). A text that “ reaffirms the commitment of both agencies to meet this schedule », According to the joint press release.
For Jared Isaacman, NASA administrator, the direction is clear: “TheAmerica is determined to return to the Moon, build the infrastructure to settle there, and invest to prepare for the next big step to Mars and beyond. » And added, bluntly: “ Achieving this future requires the use of nuclear energy. » The partnership should make it possible to design and prepare for launch a lunar reactor capable of operating for several years without refueling. A building block considered essential for the credibility of the Artemis program.
On the Moon, energy constraints are severe: nights lasting fourteen Earth days, extreme temperatures, abrasive dust. In this context, nuclear energy presents advantages that are difficult to dispute. Fission systems produce electricity continuously, regardless of sunlight or environmental conditions, over long periods of time.
This is not NASA’s first use of space nuclear power. For more than half a century, the agency and DOE have collaborated on these technologies. Iconic probes like Cassini, or the Mars rovers Curiosity and Perseverance, operate using radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG). The novelty here lies in the scale: it is no longer a question of powering a robot, but rather an inhabited infrastructure.
This future system must provide energy “ safe, effective and abundant », capable of supporting prolonged lunar missions, then, ultimately, human installations on Mars. “ History shows that when American science and innovation come together, from Manhattan to Apollo, our country opens frontiers thought inaccessible said Energy Secretary Chris Wright. For him, this project is expected to have a lasting impact on space exploration.
Beyond the technical feat, lunar nuclear power is also a political signal. Washington intends to display its space and industrial leadership, at a time when the Moon is once again becoming a battleground between space powers.
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