July 31, 2025 Officials-in-Charge of Headquarters Offices Directors, NASA Centers FROM: Acting Administrator NASA SUBJECT: Directive on Fission Surface Power (FSP) Development Executive Summary • . • Fission surface power (FSP) is both an essential and sustainable segment of the lunar and Mars power architectures for future human space exploration missions.

The Trump administration is accelerating plans to place a nuclear reactor on the moon to power a base for humans. The reactor would launch to the moon by 2030, according to a directive by Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy that was sent to NASA officials in July and obtained by NPR.

NASA has set a 2030 deadline to build a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor on the moon. It’s an ambitious but potentially achievable goal that could transform space exploration, experts tell WIRED.