The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) are advancing plans to develop safe and reliable nuclear technologies for use in space.
The two agencies have come together with a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) titled Accelerating American Leadership in Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion. They have also developed a framework for collaboration to advance space exploration and discovery using nuclear power and propulsion.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says that the US is entering the “nuclear NASA era” as a transformation period of space exploration.
“Nuclear power will allow us to go farther, operate longer, and field more capable spacecraft and instruments than ever before,” Isaacman says.
“The work we’re doing today is laying the foundation for the fission-powered spacecraft of tomorrow and opening an entirely new frontier for exploration and discovery.”
The MoU solidifies the collaboration between the agencies across space nuclear development, from research and fuel production to testing, launch integration, and operations, with safety being a central component of all the work.
The signing of the MoU took place at the Science: A Golden Age Summit, and was signed by Isaacman and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. The agreement is effective from 1 November 2026.
The MoU follows an executive order from US President Donald Trump from December 2025 titled Ensuring American Space Superiority.
The US’ space plans include a launch-ready lunar surface reactor by 2030. NASA notes that it is already making steady progress on this front.
The agreement also solidifies existing plans on fission and radioisotope power systems, which runs in line with NASA’s vision for sustained human life on the Moon, with key technologies needed to enable that plan.
Nuclear in action in space
NASA plans to launch the Space Reactor-1 Freedom in 2028, moving nuclear propulsion from the lab to an operational deep-space application. This launch will also set the stage for the Lunar Reactor-1, a fission surface power program to sustain NASA’s future Moon Base through periods of darkness.
“Nuclear power will energise habitats, communications, instruments, rovers, resource usage, and critical lunar infrastructure, and it will be essential for the demanding energy needs of future Mars missions,” NASA says.
NASA says that these two programs, Space Reactor-1 and Lunar Reactor-1, are its foundation for its nuclear-space industrial base. They are designed to power permanent outposts on the moon, enable additional space exploration, and fortify American leadership in space.
“These endeavours will expand humanity’s reach toward Mars, reinforce American preeminence in deep space, and pioneer innovative technologies that yield benefits here on Earth,” NASA adds.
NASA and the US DOE have additional plans to support the European Space Agency’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover, which will study the potential for past and current life on Mars.
The US teams will provide 24 heater units to maintain instrument temperatures in Mar’s extreme cold.
Write to Amy Rotman at Mining.com.au
Main image: NASA
