NASA: The Trump Administration Continues on the Path of Nuclear Energy for Space Missions
At the end of March, NASA held the Ignition event to showcase what will be the future of US space exploration, aiming to compete with China. Among the topics discussed was nuclear energy, which will be one of the pillars not only for the permanent lunar base but also for future space rockets. In particular, for this latter option, after the early conclusion of the DRACO program, attention is now on the Space Reactor-1 Freedom spacecraft that could debut by the end of 2028, also utilizing some components of the Lunar Gateway, which is now considered canceled.
In recent days, the Trump administration issued a memorandum from the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) that officially launched the National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power. This program aims to operationalize the use of nuclear energy in space. The timelines are tight, and while a reactor could be in orbit by the end of 2028, a lunar nuclear reactor could be ready for launch by 2030.
In this way, the Trump administration wants to unequivocally focus on this technology, indicating that the United States will "lead the world in the development and deployment of space nuclear power" for exploration, commerce, and defense. The strategy is based on a parallel approach where NASA, the Department of War (DoW, formerly DoD), and the Department of Energy (DoE) will conduct independent but coordinated experiments to develop low and medium power reactors for orbit and lunar surface. This will then transition to high power systems in the 2030s.
As for NASA, the space agency will need to begin its study within a month, with a variant for the lunar surface (Fission Surface Power, FSP) and an option for nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) that will be employed for Space Reactor-1 Freedom. The minimum requirement is the production of 20 kWe for 3 years in orbit and 5 years on the lunar surface. There will be some flexibility, with the first units possibly having a power of 1 kWe (reducing initial costs and risks) but with at least one model aiming for power levels around 100 kWe in the coming years.
The DoW aims to deploy an operational nuclear reactor in space by 2031, with the DoE providing technical and technological assistance to both entities, including uranium procurement in case of supply shortages.
Nuclear energy will be one of the crucial points in overcoming the limitations of chemical propulsion for journeys to destinations like Mars (or beyond) and for establishing permanent settlements on lunar or Martian outposts. Russia has already stated several times its interest in developing this technology, and in 2022 some details about the Zeus program were released. However, Roscosmos faces some budget issues that cannot solely be covered by Rosatom. China also has good experience in the use of civilian nuclear energy and is unlikely to leave this path unpursued in space.