\u201cSince March 2024, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s,\u201d Mr Duffy wrote in the directive, which is dated July 31.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first,\u201d he added, referencing NASA\u2019s Artemis program, which plans to send the first humans to the Moon\u2019s South Pole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A concept image of NASA\u2019s Fission Surface Power Project. Picture: NASA<\/p>\n\n\n\n When later asked about the planned reactor at a press conference this month, Mr Duffy, who also serves as President Donald Trump\u2019s Secretary of Transportation, stressed the US has clear competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re in a race to the Moon, in a race with China to the Moon,\u201d he told reporters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd to have a base on the Moon, we need energy. And some of the key locations on the Moon, we\u2019re going to get solar power, but this fission technology is critically important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said the 100 kilowatts of output of the reactor would be the \u201csame amount of energy a 2,000-square-foot home uses every three and a half days\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo we\u2019re not talking about massive technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a separate post on X, he declared the US is \u201cgoing to bring nuclear fission to the lunar surface to power our base\u201d, adding, \u201cif you lead in space, you lead on Earth\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The US is accelerating its plans to build a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor on the Moon. Picture: William West \/ AFP<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-11.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-12-1024x576.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n