US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, now also serving as the acting head of NASA, is wasting no time making his mark. In his first major move, Duffy is expected to unveil a bold plan this week to speed up construction of a nuclear reactor on the Moon — a high-stakes gambit in what he calls “the second space race.”
The project, first reported by Politico, would push NASA’s goal of placing a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor on the lunar surface by 2030 – nearly tripling the power output of earlier plans. The reactor, once built, would serve as a permanent energy hub to power lunar habitats, support astronaut crews, and fuel science and industry in one of the most extreme environments known to man.
Framed as a national security and space leadership issue, the move signals growing urgency in Washington to counter China and Russia’s joint lunar ambitions – including fears of “keep-out zones” that could limit US access to resource-rich regions of the Moon.
“It is about winning the second space race,” a NASA senior official told Politico, which first reported on Duffy’s plans.
Reports claimed that NASA has long discussed putting a nuclear reactor on the Moon, but documents obtained by the outlet show this plan sets a clearer timeline – even as the agency faces steep budget cuts.
President Donald Trump appointed Duffy as interim NASA chief in July, after pulling the nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman following a feud with Isaacman’s ally, Elon Musk.
Duffy has also pushed for a faster replacement for the ageing International Space Station – another key NASA objective. Together, these efforts aim to speed up America’s push to the Moon and Mars, where China is also racing to stake its claim.
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