Nuclear reactors on the Moon? Harnessing nuclear energy to power space ventures
- Lenaïg Deslande
- 10 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Key Takeaways
● Nuclear power is deemed the most cost-effective, efficient, and safe energy source to power lunar operations, including powering a permanent moonbase, resource extraction, and mining initiatives.
● The major spacefaring powers, China, Russia, the US, and Canada have all begun developing mini nuclear reactors to be used on the Moon and power the lunar bases they plan to build.
● Small modular reactors, an umbrella term for mini nuclear reactors, are an emerging technology in full-swing, offering many economic, climate-friendly opportunities.
Establishing nuclear power on the moon is not a story of science fiction; it’s a critical consideration and product of development for national space programs around the Western hemisphere. NASA’s Artemis programme aims to establish a lunar outpost called the Artemis Base Camp, and China is developing plans for its International Lunar Research Station. Plans to return humankind are largely limited by one factor: finding and/or building a reliable power source once humans arrive.
Nuclear power has emerged as the obvious answer to this issue. A lunar month sees two weeks of daylight and two weeks of darkness, with extreme temperatures. The lunar south pole sees the most sunlight, accounting for 80% of the time. Solar panels are thus not sufficient to power full-scale lunar operations, and radio-thermal generators are too small to be effective. Bringing fuel to the lunar itself is also inefficient and costly. The power system would have to be compact and robust enough to sustain the transit to the moon, be minimal in mass and volume, resist the harsh environment of the Moon’s surface, and be reliable enough to provide power to the spacefaring crew continuously. All these factors contributed to a mini nuclear reactor as the logical power system to sustain lunar operations.
In 2022, NASA awarded contracts to several interested firms, including Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, and IX, to design a reactor suitable for powering an inhabited moonbase for at least ten years. Ideally, the design would allow for the reactor to remain autonomous, performing with minimal human intervention. The UK Space Agency, namely, enlisted the collaborative help of Rolls-Royce in developing a lunar modular nuclear reactor. Often associated with luxury cars, Rolls-Royce has, in reality, been a core contributor in manufacturing nuclear reactors for the Royal Navy’s submarines, as well as developing small, compact nuclear reactors.
The most popular, catch-all term to qualify these small reactors is “small modular reactors” or SMRs. SMRs essentially have a power capacity of 300 MW(e) per unit, a third of what a traditional nuclear power reactor can output. SMRs are, unsurprisingly, small and modular, and produce a low-carbon footprint. They are suitable for isolated and extreme environments and are often prefabricated and then shipped and built on site. They are often custom-designed and remain cheap compared to other power alternatives. As of today, SMRs have mostly been used in rural areas with limited grid coverage. A subset of SMRs, microreactors, is possibly what will be used on the Moon, as they can function completely off-grid and can work passively with limited human intervention. These systems are also relatively safe and offer a number of different safety mechanisms. Criticisms nevertheless permeate SMR implementation discussions, namely in terms of nuclear proliferation. This encompasses a country possibly disguising a nuclear space project as an SMR instead of a possible weapon to attack satellites. Another emerging concern similarly addresses nuclear waste and safety once the technology has been brought to the Moon.
Countries are Increasing their Nuclear Space Capabilities
Among similar initiatives, China is planning on building a nuclear plant on the moon to fuel its International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The ILRS is a joint project with Russia and is part of China’s 2030 goal to land astronauts on the moon and become a major lunar power. Its lunar space program, Chang’e, is currently setting the pace in establishing a manned, permanent Chinese lunar base. Chang’e Chief Engineer Pei Zhaoyu also stated that the lunar base could also draw energy from solar power, building pipelines and cables along the moon’s surface for heating and electricity.
Nuclear power is portrayed as the natural solution to powering the ILRS in the future, and China has unofficially reached out to Russia concerning its extensive knowledge and expertise on nuclear power plants. Nuclear power on the Moon is preferred to alternative energy sources for a number of reasons, including solar power not being sufficient to, by itself, power an entire lunar settlement and research base.
Chinese projects for the ILRS claim that a “basic model” for the station could be established on the lunar south pole by 2035. The Moon’s south pole is often quoted by lunar space venturists. It is coveted by various institutions due to its prolonged daytime and extensive lunar natural resources. Multilateral plans have already been made concerning resource-sharing on the Moon, including the mineral resources and water deposits, as well as lunar south pole materials.
In an earlier statement in March 2024, Russia announced it would consider cooperating with China on installing a nuclear power plant on the moon by 2035. The former head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, had then stated that this partnership could pave the way for future lunar settlements, with Russia specifically contributing in terms of nuclear space energy. This participation would not only manifest itself through the implementation of SMRs but also through developing plans for building a nuclear-powered cargo spaceship. This spaceship would essentially work as a space tugboat, transporting large cargoes between orbits, and potentially also working as a space debris collection service. On a tangential note, Russian nuclear capabilities in space have also manifested in claims that Moscow plans to put nuclear weapons in space. Seeing the global commons of space as not only a domain for political and economic expansion, but also as a new area to militarise and weaponise, are all factors influencing security discussions on space. Although Russia’s claims to install nuclear space weapons caused a Western uproar when the news came out in 2024, it has largely been forgotten and dismissed by NATO as a top priority.
Most recently, Canada has been expanding its space mining and reactor technologies. In late November 2025, the Canadian Space Mining Corporation (CSMC) and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories signed an MOU to commercialise the SLOWPOKE-2 reactor technology. The SLOWPOKE-2 is a low-energy reactor, a tank-in-pool-type reactor which was extremely successful in the past, marking Canada as a leader in micro-reactor technology and its application in space. The CSMC claimed they will be able to deploy the Moon’s first reactor, as well as state that they will collaborate with NASA’s Artemis program in using small nuclear reactors for space exploration. Its compact and reliable design has also been projected for use in remote areas on Earth, not just space, including in the Arctic and among remote Indigenous communities.
Today, the CSMC is adapting the SLOWPOKE-2 to apply it to SMR technology. It is currently developing the Low Enriched Uranium Nuclear Reactor, a compact and resilient power system specifically designed for remote and extreme environments, including the Moon. On the Moon, it could help with science missions and powering resource extraction designs, on top of powering Moon bases, similarly to China’s programme.
The US has also announced its interest in implementing a nuclear reactor on the Moon. Indeed, last August 2025, NASA Administrator Sea Duffy reported a US reactor could be set on the Moon and be operational by 2030. US SMRs have been years in the making, with NASA closely cooperating with the US Department of Energy to develop such systems in order to power lunar bases and mining operations, much like the previously mentioned countries. For the US, this project is about economic growth and testing out technologies for future deep space missions.
Developing SMRs on the Moon and Business Interests
SMR development is also a booming industry, especially in Canada. The industry offers economic opportunities for individuals seeking related jobs, supporting a country’s and industry’s economic growth, and innovation. SMR projects could similarly sustain the nuclear industry where it struggles, ramping up jobs based on innovation and space expansion. If such projects were to expand, the nuclear supply chain could be supported.
The technology could help pave the way to future innovation in the human exploration of space. Similar mini nuclear mechanisms have already been thought of being applied to in-space propulsion systems, including by Russia’s Roscosmos. This line of thought also predicts the future of international partnerships. If one country or company is proficient in one aspect of the technology, then they are more likely to unite if their space political cultures align as well. Bilateral and multilateral cooperation in space is common, and so is cooperation between a state and a commercial space actor. Emerging technologies can help in breaching operational and logistical barriers and expand business opportunities.
On a non-lunar basis, SMR technology is especially sought after by the mining industry. Long-term, SMRs save costs, are “environmentally-friendly”, and useful for off-grid mining operations. SMR development is also interesting for climate policy goals. The system’s low carbon footprint is helpful for actors aiming to achieve net-zero climate goals or simply aiming to reduce their emissions. The technology allows for a smoother transition away from fossil fuels and remote areas’ dependence on diesel energy.
