With the launch of Artemis II next month, U.S. moves to establish lunar outpost with nuclear reactor

By EPN Staff

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are collaborating on a plan to develop a Moon-based nuclear reactor by 2030. The distant reactor would support an outpost and future missions, including a journey to Mars.

According to the DOE, the departments signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to provide a needed lunar power resource. The lunar reactor would assist in achieving priorities outlined in a Dec. 18, 2025, Executive Order (EO), Ensuring American Space Superiority, to protect America and its space assets, spark commercial enterprise and to prepare for new exploration.

“History shows that when American science and innovation come together, from the Manhattan Project to the Apollo Mission, our nation leads the world to reach new frontiers once thought impossible,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “This agreement continues that legacy. Thanks to President (Donald) Trump’s leadership and his America First Space Policy, the Department is proud to work with NASA and the commercial space industry on what will be one of the greatest technical achievements in the history of nuclear energy and space exploration.”   

Why it matters

In his first term, Trump issued a series of space policy directives culminating in a National Space Policy issued in December 2020.

While President Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump, moved to undo a majority of Trump’s policies, he showed support for the Artemis program. In 2024, NASA successfully landed an unmanned spacecraft on the lunar surface, but it was a far cry from the manned activity envisioned by the Trump Administration.

In his second term, Trump issued the December 2025 EO, laying out his vision to “extend the reach of human discovery, secure the Nation’s vital economic and security interests, unleash commercial development and lay the foundation for a new space age.”  The space plan contemplates neutralizing threats to the U.S.

The EO declares that Americans will return to the Moon by 2028 through the Artemis Program, aiming to launch lunar economic development and prepare for the journey to Mars. The Administration plans to lay the foundations for a permanent lunar outpost by 2030. Lunar-based nuclear power will provide a needed fuel resource.

The U.S. is also planning to develop next-generation missile defense technologies to protect the nation and its space assets.

To foster economic growth, the Administration plans to attract at least $50 billion of additional investment in American space markets by 2028, almost double the current federal expenditures planned in 2026. By upgrading launch and re-entry facilities, the government hopes to spur private enterprise and the development of a commercial pathway to replace the International Space Station by 2030.

The bigger picture

NASA plans to launch the Artemis II mission in February 2026. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will not land; rather, they will engage in a flyby test of the Orion spacecraft. If successful, the Orion spacecraft will be used in future lunar landings.

The last time U.S. astronauts visited the moon was in December 1972 when the Apollo 17 landed in the Moon’s Taurus-Littrow valley.