NASA and Energy Department team up on space nuclear power
NASA and the Energy Department signed a deal Thursday to work together on nuclear power for space. NASA wants a moon reactor ready to launch by 2030 and a nuclear-driven spacecraft flying in 2028. The Register notes those deadlines are tight and says NASA has shared few signs of progress.
NASA is betting on nuclear power to push deeper into space, and it now has a formal partner to help.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed an agreement Thursday in Washington. It sets up a plan for the two agencies to work together on space nuclear technology, from research and fuel production to testing, launch and operations. NASA said safety remains the central goal. The deal takes effect Nov. 1.
"We are entering the 'Nuclear NASA-era,'" Isaacman said. "Nuclear power will allow us to go farther, operate longer, and field more capable spacecraft and instruments than ever before."
The agreement builds on a December 2025 executive order that directs NASA to develop a lunar surface reactor ready for launch by 2030. That reactor, called Lunar Reactor-1, would power a future moon base through long stretches of darkness, NASA said.
First comes Space Reactor-1, a nuclear-propelled spacecraft named Freedom. NASA says it will launch in 2028. The Register reported the launch is set for December 2028 and that the craft would carry three small helicopters to Mars to scout possible landing sites.
The Register called those dates tight. It noted that government auditors have warned for years that NASA's moon timelines are hard to meet, and that the full text of the new agreement does not appear to have been published.
Nuclear power is not new for NASA. The Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon Titan, set to launch in 2028, will use a radioisotope power generator and 24 small heater units to keep the car-sized rotorcraft running. NASA and the Energy Department also plan to send 24 similar heater units for Europe's Rosalind Franklin Mars rover, which will look for signs of life.
What we know: The two agencies will work together on space reactors starting Nov. 1.
What we don't: Whether NASA can meet its 2028 and 2030 reactor deadlines.
Where outlets agree The Register and Space & Defense both report that Isaacman and Wright signed the agreement Thursday to cover research, fuel production, testing, launch integration and operations.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.