The Real Nuclear Moonshot Is Here on Earth
The push for a lunar-ready reactor magnifies the hype in the industry and the challenge of getting projects built here at home.
Moonshot.
Photographer: Marcos del Mazo/LightRocketIn America in 2025 it’s tough to know which we will see first, the Epstein files or a nuclear power plant on the Moon. The Trump administration certainly seems more committed to the latter. Transportation Secretary and acting head of NASA Sean Duffy has reportedly issued a directive aiming for a lunar-ready reactor by 2030.
This is certainly one way of pushing more federal funding toward advanced reactor research. It also magnifies, through a fantastical lens, the broader hype around new nuclear power — and the daunting challenge of getting it deployed to meet our more immediate needs for carbon-free power back here at home.