Washington: With the goal of launching the first system by the end of the decade, the US is racing to place nuclear power reactors on the Moon and Mars.
The creation of a nuclear power czar to choose two commercial ideas within six months is required by a new NASA mandate, which was first reported by Politico and viewed by AFP on Tuesday. The push is framed as essential to surpassing a joint Chinese-Russian effort.
The July 31 memo, which was signed by US Transportation Secretary and acting NASA Chief Sean Duffy, is the most recent indication of the agency’s move under President Donald Trump’s second term to put human space exploration ahead of scientific research.
“China and Russia have announced a collaborative endeavor at least three times since March 2024.
