Science Esa expert considers plan for nuclear power plant on the moon realistic
An Esa expert considers possible plans by the US space agency Nasa to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030 to be quite realistic. It is nothing completely new, and there has already been plenty of preliminary work and technological research.
08.08.2025, 05:15
08.08.2025, 05:16
SDA
Markus Landgraf, Space Project Manager at the European Space Agency (Esa), told the German Press Agency. Although there is a lot of potential in nuclear technology, little has been done so far. "This is exactly the situation where the need has actually existed for a long time, but for political reasons this technology has not yet been implemented," says the Esa expert. "A lot of research has been done, not only in America, but also in Europe." Such a power plant is needed for the extraction of resources.
According to a media report, NASA is planning to build a nuclear reactor on the surface of the moon. According to internal documents obtained by the US news site "Politico", the space agency is to obtain concrete proposals from industry for a 100-kilowatt reactor within 60 days. This should go into operation by 2030.
Although the plans were neither confirmed nor denied, Nasa CEO Sean Duffy said in response to questions from journalists: "We will now go beyond research and have given the order to get started."
