NASA is accelerating plans to support the development of a lunar nuclear power system, focusing heavily on commercialization. A draft Announcement for Partnership Proposals (AFPP) for its Fission Surface Power initiative was released August 29th to gather industry input. This follows a July 31st policy directive from Acting Administrator Sean Duffy, aiming to expedite lunar nuclear power system development.
The directive calls for a reactor generating at least 100 kilowatts, ready for launch by the end of 2029. NASA intends to use public-private partnerships via funded Space Act Agreements. While initially aiming for two companies, the draft AFPP allows for selecting "one, multiple or none." The system will utilize a closed Brayton cycle power conversion system, indicating scalability to higher-power systems. The reactor will operate in the lunar south polar region for at least 10 years.
The AFPP requests input on cybersecurity, physical security, and reactor fuel. Companies will own the reactor and sell power to NASA and other customers, needing to submit financing and commercial business plans. Companies can propose NASA handle the lunar landing (under 15,000 kilograms), but wholly commercial approaches will receive higher evaluation. The draft doesn't specify NASA funding but promises this information in the final version by October 3rd. Awards are anticipated by March 2026.
This initiative follows an Idaho National Laboratory report recommending accelerated space nuclear power development. Bhavya Lal, former NASA associate administrator and report co-author, described NASA’s approach as a “risky combination,” due to the many "first-of-its-kind" aspects. However, she also acknowledged a “new sense of strategic urgency,” driven by Chinese and Russian megawatt-class lunar reactor proposals. "This urgency is what finally makes space nuclear real because it turns what used to be a discretionary technology into a strategic imperative,” she stated. Her definition of success? "A commercial space nuclear sector that endures."