The race to space is on!
The show case of power is for all to see as the U.S., Russia and China all flaunt their intentions to be the first to build a nuclear power plant on the moon.
NASA, Roscosmos and the CNSA are the names involved. The latter two are working in partnership to deploy a reactor to power their planned Lunar Research Station, and NASA’s plans would provide ~100kw of electrical power while heating a base camp for the crews of the lunar-landing Artemis missions.
There have been setbacks including NASA’s budget or lack thereof, which is of course a huge issue with a project of this size and complexity. Russia has old, but reliable technology, while China has new yet untested technology, so this pairing could be powerful.
As this race continues, there is also the large task of how we design and build new nuclear power plants on our home planet. There is also the focus on defence technology including the use of autonomous systems, quantum computing, and laser systems all while ensuring we are utilising sustainable practices.
Will this happen by the current 2030 timeline? We won’t hold our breath, but we look forward to seeing what’s next for human and nuclear space exploration.
“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind” – Neil Armstrong
Sources: The American Nuclear Society, Space.com, Power Technology
Picture: Lockheed Martin