NASA wants to build a nuclear reactor on the moon. Here’s what one expert thinks

NASA officials claim the organization is planning to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by the end of the decade. How realistic is this plan?

As NASA eyes a return to the moon, the agency has set an ambitious goal: deploy a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface by 2030 to provide consistent energy for future missions.

But how feasible is this idea?

According to Lionel Wilson, professor emeritus of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Lancaster University, powering a moon base is one of the most significant challenges facing long-term lunar exploration.

“The moon has no atmosphere, no wind and no renewable resources like coal or forests,” Wilson told CTV’s Your Morning Thursday. “So solar power is the obvious (source).”

Wilson explained that the moon rotates slowly - taking 28 days to complete one rotation - experiencing 14 days of sunlight followed by 14 days of darkness. He says that means bases would need extensive battery systems to store power or a reliable alternative.

According to Wilson, a system that provides constant power, like a radioisotope generator, helps reduce reliance on solar energy. It keeps producing electricity around the clock, so even if a solar setup fails, there’s a reliable backup.

Acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy has directed the agency to fast track plans to put a nuclear reactor on the moon, a moved aimed at staying ahead of China and Russia, which have jointly announced efforts to build a similar system by the mid-2030s.

NASA has previously collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy on fission surface power projects, which were capable of delivering 40 kilowatts - enough to power 30 homes for 10 years.

The type of system NASA has used in deep-space probes, where solar power is too weak, relies on small amounts of plutonium, Wilson said. But for the 100 kilowatts of power NASA hopes to generate on the moon, Wilson estimates much more would be needed.

“About 200 kilograms of plutonium - that’s roughly a fifth of a ton,” he said. “That’s what it would take using the same design currently powering spacecraft.”

Still Wilson believes producing such a reactor in time is technically possible. The bigger question is whether humans will be back on the moon by then. There’s no point in getting the power source to the moon if you’re not getting the people there,” he said.