Powering the Moon Interim NASA administrator Sean Duffy announced that President Trump wants to place a small modular reactor (SMR) on the moon by 2030. The plan aims to secure U.S. dominance in the lunar economy and counter China and Russia’s joint plans for a similar reactor by the mid-2030s.

It comes just three months after China and Russia announced they were considering a joint effort to also put a nuclear power station on the Moon in a new race for space dominance.

Interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy says his plan to put a nuclear reactor on the moon is part of his plain to "get there first and claim that for America."