Nasa acting chief Duffy issues directive to speed up moon reactor plans

WASHINGTON – Nasa’s acting administrator Sean Duffy plans to accelerate the construction of a nuclear reactor that could be used on the moon and alter the way the United States’ space agency will partner with industry to replace the ageing International Space Station.

The plans, outlined in directives distributed inside Nasa and seen by Bloomberg on Aug 4, mark the first major policy changes by Mr Duffy after US President Donald Trump appointed him to the role

as acting head of the space agency

. 

One of the directives, first reported by US-based political news organisation Politico, would aim to speed up the development of a nuclear fission reactor that could be used to generate power on the moon one day and inform future designs for a powerplant that could be used on Mars.

Nasa previously awarded contracts to commercial companies to come up with designs for small nuclear fission reactors, but Mr Duffy’s directive instructs the space agency to put a call out to industry to create a more powerful reactor, with the goal of having technology ready for launch as early as 2030. 

The second directive targets Nasa’s efforts to tap the commercial space industry to develop new space stations that could take over for the International Space Station when it is retired by the end of 2030. 

The directive changes the way the space agency will contract with the companies selected to create space station replacements, a step designed to provide more flexibility if Nasa’s funding levels fluctuate in the years ahead.

The moves come days after Mr Duffy met with the head of Russia’s space agency, Mr Dmitry Bakanov, marking the first conclave between leaders of the two countries’ space agencies since 2018. 

During the meeting, Mr Duffy and Mr Bakanov discussed the future of the International Space Station, the orbiting laboratory which is used by both nations, and joint exploration of the moon, according to a Roscosmos statement. BLOOMBERG