The United States (U.S.), China and Russia are all in a competition to install a nuclear reactor on the Moon and prove their superiority over the others.
The US was the first to put a man, Neil Armstrong, on moon in July 1969.
It has been revealed that the new head of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Sean Duffy, is preparing to ensure U.S. superiority in space by putting a nuclear reactor on the moon before 2030.
The US plans to build an American base on the moon as part of its Artemis Program and Duffy believes that putting a nuclear reactor on the moon will provide an edge to the U.S. over other nations, allowing it to declare a “keep-out zone” on the lunar surface.
The Artemis Program is an ambitious mission by NASA to return humans to the moon, aiming to build a sustainable presence there.
NASA has allocated $7 billion for lunar exploration this year as Duffy asked the space agency to move quickly in a bid to build a future lunar economy.
The NASA chief, who is also serving as the country's transport secretary, has asked the agency to put a reactor that is able to produce a 100 kilowatts on the moon by 2030.
China and Russia are also in the race as both countries signed a memorandum of cooperation in May 2025 to build a nuclear reactor on the moon. Both countries are targeting 2036 as their completion date.
Both countries have planned to use the reactor to power the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) which should be completed by 2036.
This has put the three major powers of the world in the space race just like ‘bad’ old days of cold war when the U.S. and USSR were competing against each other to prove hegemony on Earth.
The Outer Space Treaty was put in place in 1967 to establish rules for the countries dealing in space. The treaty explicitly states that nations are not legally able to make territorial claims on celestial bodies like the moon.
It remains to be seen how this competition plays out in future conflicts.