Nuclear Power for the Moon and Mars: America Should Lead, and Hit Its Deadlines
NASA and the Energy Department signed a pact to build reactors for space, with a nuclear spacecraft due in 2028 and a lunar reactor by 2030. In our view, it is the right bet, but the schedule critics deserve answers.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 9, 2026 | 6-min read Solar panels do not work in the dark, and on the Moon, night lasts about two weeks. If America wants a permanent base on the lunar surface, and someday a mission to Mars, it needs power that never switches off. On Thursday in Washington, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed an agreement to build exactly that: nuclear reactors for space [1]. In our view, this is the right bet for American leadership. Now the hard part begins, because the deadlines are tight and the critics have real points. Key Takeaways NASA and the Department of Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding, "Accelerating American Leadership in Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion," on Oct. 8; it takes effect Nov. 1 [1]. President Trump's December 2025 executive order directs NASA to develop a launch-ready lunar surface reactor by 2030 [1]. NASA's first nuclear-powered spacecraft, Space Reactor-1 Freedom, is slated to launch in 2028, a schedule The Register calls "an even tighter deadline" [1][3]. Here is why this matters. Every great leap in exploration has depended on energy. Sailing ships needed wind,