NASA has signed a new agreement with the US Department of Energy to develop nuclear-powered spacecraft and lunar reactors, with some rather ambitious deadlines attached.
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman and US energy secretary Chris Wright signed the agreement on 8 October, expanding cooperation on nuclear propulsion and power systems. The arrangement covers everything from reactor research and nuclear fuel production to testing, launch integration and operations.
According to NASA the agreement, with the catchy title Accelerating American Leadership in Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion, takes effect on 1 November. It builds on more than 50 years of cooperation between the two agencies, although Washington appears determined to give the relationship a serious dose of rocket fuel.
Isaacman declared that NASA was entering what he called the “Nuclear NASA-era”, promising a transformation in the agency’s ability to explore deep space. He said: “Nuclear power will allow us to go farther, operate longer, and field more capable spacecraft and instruments than ever before.”
The agency’s most immediate target is NASA’s Space Reactor-1 Freedom mission, which it expects to launch in 2028. The programme aims to demonstrate nuclear technology in deep space, taking reactor systems beyond laboratory development and into an operational spacecraft.
NASA subsequently wants to establish Lunar Reactor-1, a fission power system designed to supply electricity to a permanent Moon base. President Donald Trump’s December 2025 executive order calls for a launch-ready lunar surface reactor by 2030, giving engineers four years to solve problems that usually take rather longer.
A lunar reactor would provide electricity throughout the Moon’s approximately 14-day night, when solar panels cannot generate power. It could supply future habitats, scientific instruments and industrial equipment without depending on enormous battery installations or uninterrupted sunlight.
The Department of Energy will contribute its nuclear expertise, including fuel production and reactor technology. Putting a reactor safely into space adds complications, especially when the equipment must survive launch, operate remotely, and function for years without easy access to a repair technician.
The agreement extends to radioisotope power systems, which generate electricity from heat released by radioactive decay. NASA has used such technology on missions including Voyager and the Mars rovers, although these systems differ considerably from the fission reactors now being proposed.
NASA’s planned Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan and the European Space Agency’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover are among the projects expected to benefit from continued nuclear technology cooperation. Radioisotope heaters can keep spacecraft components functioning in environments where ordinary electronics would rapidly freeze.
Wright welcomed the agreement as part of Washington’s renewed enthusiasm for nuclear technology. He said: “The Energy Department is proud to partner with NASA as we help American space missions reach uncharted territory.”
The announcement signals closer cooperation but offers no new reactor specifications, confirmed deployment contracts, or evidence that the 2028 and 2030 targets are achievable. NASA and the Department of Energy must still turn political enthusiasm into hardware that can survive the far less forgiving environment of space.
