US to Install Nuclear Reactor on Moon by 2030, Intensifying Space Race with China

• The US is accelerating plans to deploy a nuclear fission reactor on the Moon by 2030, aiming for a permanent human and robotic lunar presence.
• NASA and the US Department of Energy (DOE) have formalized their joint effort through an MoU to develop a Nuclear Fission Surface Power System.
• This initiative is part of the Artemis campaign and future Mars missions, strengthening American leadership in space science and energy infrastructure.
• The fission system will provide stable, abundant, and continuous electricity for years, crucial for lunar infrastructure and sustained missions, even without sunlight.
• The move intensifies the space power balance, as China and Russia are also advancing lunar nuclear reactor development.

Why It Matters: The US is deploying a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030, escalating the space race and enabling long-term lunar missions.