U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, currently serving as acting NASA Administrator, announced plans for the U.S. to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon—but warned that America is “behind” in the global “race to the Moon,” despite having put a man on the Moon in 1969 through the Apollo program.
Speaking about a lunar nuclear reactor, Secretary Duffy told reporters on Tuesday that “this is not a new concept,” and it “has been discussed under Trump I, under Biden, but we are in a race to the moon, in a race with China to the Moon, and to have a base on the Moon, we need energy.”
Duffy explained that while some areas of the Moon are good for solar power, “fission technology is critically important.”
He revealed that the U.S. has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on feasibility studies.
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“We are now going to move beyond studying, and we have given direction to go. Let’s start to deploy our technology to move to actually make this a reality.”
Duffy also said that putting a nuclear reactor on the Moon is critically important “to be able to sustain life on the Moon to then go to Mars.”
He reiterated that “we’re behind,” saying that “If we’re going to engage in the race to the Moon, in the race to Mars, we have to get our act together. We have to marshal all of our resources, all of our focus on going to the Moon, which is what we’re going to do.”
Duffy also pointed to a July 31 directive, as ABC News reported.
“Since March 2024, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s,” Duffy wrote. “The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first.”
Some criticized the Secretary, calling it an affront to Neil Armstrong—the first man to walk on the Moon—to suggest this would be America’s first lunar mission. Tuesday is the 95th anniversary of Armstrong’s birth.
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Others called for the U.S. to spend more on health care, and others still urged building more nuclear reactors in the U.S. before placing them on the Moon.
“Here’s the question,” wrote economist Dr. Pippa Malmgren. “Should the first human institution on the moon be: A. A military base B. A mining or manufacturing company C. An institution designed to ensure that all humanity benefits from the abundance space is set to deliver? Intent matters.”
“It sounds crazy,” added Dr. Catharine Young, “but a nuclear reactor on the moon is key to powering long-term missions. The problem isn’t the vision – it’s that NASA downsized thousands of senior engineers, dismantling the capacity needed to do it safely. This is what happens when science is treated as expendable.”
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