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THE US has unveiled plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon as it seeks to get ahead of China and Russia in the new-age space race.
The aim is to mark American territory on the lunar surface by creating a power hub that could supply energy for future missions.
Nasa chief Sean Duffy is set to announce plans to build the reactor by 2030.
It comes just weeks after Russia inked a deal with China to build a nuclear power station on the moon as part of their shared lunar space base.
The Russian reactor will be used to power the sprawling International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which is being jointly led with China, according to a new agreement signed by the two nations.
A directive from Nasa says that such an American nuclear reactor on the moon will establish US “keep-out” zones on the lunar surface.
This is to further stop rivals like Moscow and Beijing from effectively colonising the Moon.
It reads: “The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not the first.
“[Nasa needs to] move quickly to support a future lunar economy [and] strengthen our national security in space.”
In 2022, Nasa launched a mission known as the Fission Surface Power Project, hoping to establish a source that could provide abundant and continuous power on the moon regardless of environmental conditions.
The project is deemed crucial for supporting long-term human settlements on the lunar surface.
It could also enable the exploration of deeper space destinations in the future.
The reactor is expected to generate light and power during the lunar nights when there is no sunshine on the surface, making solar panels ineffective.
One lunar night is the equivalent of 14 nights on Earth.
And it could also help light up the permanently shadowed parts of the moon to make further space explorations.
Inside a nuclear reactor, atoms of certain elements – like uranium-235 – are split when struck by neutrons.
This splitting releases energy in the form of heat and additional neutrons.
The released neutrons can then strike other atoms, continuing the chain reaction.
Reactors are designed to control this chain reaction, preventing it from becoming uncontrolled.
A Nasa official told The Telegraph: “If we are going to have a habitable system on the Moon then we have to bring power.”
He said small reactors were already in use on submarines and aircraft carriers.
“They solve the problem,” he added.
During the pilot project, Nasa specified that the reactor should stay under six metric tons and be able to produce 40-kilowatt of electrical power.
But Mr Duffy has now directed the space agency to seek industry proposals for a minimum 100-kilowatt reactor to launch by 2030.
Former Nasa boss Bill Nelson was outspoken about his fears for a sole Chinese presence on the Moon – which are unlikely to soften with Russia’s added involvement.
China’s military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface, Nelson claimed, which would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
China’s military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface, Nelson claimed, which would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
Race to the lunar south pole
By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter
THE far side of the moon, dubbed the ‘dark side’, has now become the focal point of numerous space exploration programs.
India, Russia, China and the US have all been engaged in space developments to study the far point of the moon.
It is deemed to be not only a compelling place for future space explorations but also a suitable site for lunar outposts.
Scientists believe it could be the most promising location for water-based ice, which will be key to future human habitation on the Moon.
It is also one of the moon’s most resource-dense areas.
The permanently shadowed places on the Moon could contain ice and other minerals, which would be vital resources for future explorers.
Scientists reckon there is an abundance of Helium-3 in so-called ‘cold traps’ littered across the south pole, which can help produce huge amounts of energy here on Earth.
The mountain peaks near the pole – which are illuminated for longer periods – could be used to provide solar energy to an outpost.
With an outpost on the Moon, scientists will be able to analyse water and other volatile samples dating to the formation of the Solar System.
For China, the landing of the Chang’e-6 lunar probe is an important milestone that the country will leverage to expand its space presence on the far side of the moon.
It will use the data collected by the space lander to allow Chinese astronauts to set foot on the moon by 2030.
“We better watch out that they don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research,” Nelson told Politico in a 2023 interview.
“And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Keep out, we’re here, this is our territory.’”
China has agreed to share the ILRS with 17 countries, including Egypt, Venezuela, South Africa, Pakistan, Thailand and Azerbaijan.
Beijing has been firm that its intentions for ILRS are to collect samples and carry out “scientific exploration”, despite Nasa’s suspicions.
ILRS will be a permanent, manned lunar base on the Moon’s south pole.
Slated to be bigger than Disneyland, with a radius of 3.7miles, it is intended to host a command centre, a communication hub, and scientific facilities, alongside a power station.
The groundwork will be laid by China’s 2028 Chang’e-8 mission, which will be the country’s first time landing an astronaut on the Moon.
CHINA’S THREATENING SPACE AMBITIONS
Under dictator Xi’s leadership, China has been brewing ambitious plans to become the leader of the global space rush.
The country spent roughly £11.2billion on its space programme in 2023, according to Statista.
While China was late to the first round of the space race, Beijing is investing heavily in becoming the second nation to put humans on the Moon by 2030.
The Chinese-owned Tiangong space station was completed in late 2022, and has been permanently manned since then.
China has doubled the number of satellites it has in orbit since 2019, according to the US Defence Intelligence Agency.
Experts also fear that China’s monster network of tracking satellites could snoop on Western military operations.
Washington and Beijing currently have the most developed plans for securing separate permanent bases on the Moon, out of any other country in the world.
And fears are China, if it succeeds in making a giant leap ahead of the US, could threaten aggression in space.
A series of non-binding bilateral agreements called the Artemis Accords have been signed between the US and other nations to assure peace in space and on other planets.
However, China has stayed out of the agreement, indicating a potential threat from the communist country.
