Competition is emerging on the Moon for the creation of energy infrastructure for future bases. NASA has accelerated the development of a nuclear power plant for the Moon and expects to prepare it for launch in December 2030. In late August, the agency approached potential contractors with a proposal to develop a reactor capable of surviving a flight to the Moon and operating autonomously in the South Pole region. According to The New York Times (NYT), the American side wants to get ahead of the Russian-Chinese program, for which 2036 remains the target year.
A nuclear source is needed for the continuous power supply of future lunar bases. Solar panels cannot provide power to equipment throughout the lunar night, which lasts more than two Earth weeks. In the South Pole region, sharp temperature fluctuations pose an additional problem.
The American project was named Lunar Reactor 1. The NYT indicates an electrical power of about 20 kW and an autonomous operating period of five years without human intervention. The reactor is to be used after delivery to the lunar surface and will power future infrastructure.
The Russian project Selena is being developed for lunar stations that Russia and China plan to develop jointly. According to the NYT, the installation should generate up to 10 kW of electricity and operate autonomously for about 10 years. Deployment is expected in 2036. However, the Russian-Chinese side has not yet disclosed what nuclear fuel will be used in the reactor.
Russia's position in this program is not only related to the Selena project itself. The NYT notes that the USSR and Russia have already launched more than 30 nuclear reactors into space, primarily in the 1970s–1980s. The publication also calls Russia the largest producer of high-assay low-enriched uranium — uranium with enrichment from 5 to 20% of the U-235 isotope, which is considered one of the most suitable fuel options for modern compact reactors.
For the US, this is a separate technical problem. NASA's procurement documentation focuses on low-enriched fuel, but the country currently lacks sufficient domestic high-assay low-enriched uranium. The NYT notes that Russia is the largest producer of this type of fuel, while American capacities are not yet sufficient to fully meet the program's needs.
However, the actual installation of a reactor on the Moon is still a long way off. The NYT article emphasizes that neither side has a proven lander capable of delivering a heavy, potentially radioactive installation to the uneven lunar surface. Furthermore, no one has yet operated a reactor in conditions of low lunar gravity.
There is also uncertainty about the future energy system itself. Lunar bases have not yet been built, so their actual electricity needs are unknown. According to experts interviewed by the NYT, the design of the reactors may still change, and the stated deadlines may shift.
Safety remains a separate issue. NASA and Russia state that their reactors will be delivered to the Moon in an inactive state, meaning that nuclear reaction will not begin until arrival on the surface. This reduces risks during transportation but does not completely rule out accidents during launch or subsequent operation.
Experts cited by the NYT specifically point out the difficulty of protecting a reactor on the Moon. On Earth, nuclear installations are placed inside protective structures, and creating similar infrastructure on Earth's satellite will be significantly more difficult. Therefore, zones inaccessible to people and equipment will likely have to be created around operating reactors.
For the US, Russia, and China, nuclear energy is becoming one of the key elements of long-term plans for lunar exploration. But for now, these are just projects with set deadlines and characteristics, not ready-made lunar power plants. Lunar Reactor 1 is scheduled for launch in 2030, Selena in 2036. Which program will be the first to actually operate on the lunar surface is yet to be determined.