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The United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Tuesday announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) renewing their commitment to developing a lunar power system using fission by 2030.

The collaboration aims to enable sustained NASA missions on the Moon – though radioisotope systems have already powered long-term U.S. space missions for decades according to DOE.

“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and his America First Space Policy, the department is proud to work with NASA and the commercial space industry on what will be one of the greatest technical achievements in the history of nuclear energy and space exploration”, Energy Secretary Chris Wright declared.

The agencies eye deploying a surface power system able to operate for years without refueling. “The deployment of a lunar surface reactor will enable future sustained lunar missions by providing continuous and abundant power, regardless of sunlight or temperature”, DOE and NASA said.

“Under President Trump’s national space policy, America is committed to returning to the Moon, building the infrastructure to stay and making the investments required for the next giant leap to Mars and beyond”, said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Achieving this future requires harnessing nuclear power. 

“This agreement enables closer collaboration between NASA and the Department of Energy to deliver the capabilities necessary to usher in the golden age of space exploration and discovery”.

Westinghouse Contract

Before the MOU, DOE and NASA had already contracted Westinghouse Electric Co LLC to develop a space microreactor design under the agencies’ Fission Surface Power (FSP) project.

On January 7, 2025, Pennsylvania-based Westinghouse announced a new contract that builds on “the successful design work Westinghouse completed during phase 1 to optimize its contributions to the design of FSP systems and their configuration, and begin testing of critical technology elements”.

“The continued progress under the FSP project can enable NASA’s goal of a lunar demonstration within the next decade”, Westinghouse said in an online statement then.

The statement said NASA was working with DOE to design a fission power system that would provide up to 40 kilowatts, enough to continuously run 30 households for 10 years.

“Westinghouse is leveraging its eVinciTM microreactor technology to develop a resilient and mass-efficient nuclear electric power and propulsion system for satellite, spacecraft and planetary surface power applications”, the statement said.

“Building on decades of industry-leading Westinghouse innovation to bring carbon-free, safe and scalable energy wherever it is needed for a variety of applications, the eVinci microreactor generates reliable electricity and heating for remote communities, universities, mining operations, industrial centers, data centers, defense facilities and soon the lunar surface and beyond.

“These resilient microreactors have very few moving parts, providing versatility for mission types with the reduction of failure points, simple operation and increased reliability for the harsh environment of space”.

New Industry Call

On December 5, 2025, NASA issued a second draft Announcement for Partnership Proposal incorporating industry feedback from the first draft. This partnership would design a fission surface power system that would provide at least 100 kilowatts and use a closed Brayton cycle system for the conversion of heat to electricity.

“The size, weight, and power capability of fission systems make them an effective continuous power supply regardless of location”, NASA said in an online statement. “Additionally, a nuclear reactor could be placed in lunar regions where sunlight cannot reach and could sustain nights on the Moon which can last more than 14 Earth days near the poles.

“Nuclear power is a key element for NASA’s Artemis missions and supporting a robust lunar economy”. 

Radioisotope Systems

DOE, through its Office of Space and Defense Power Systems and in partnership with national laboratories and private industry partners, has already developed and provided radioisotope power systems to NASA for use in long-term missions from Voyagers 1 and 2 to the Mars rovers, according to the department.

These space power deployments worked by converting heat generated by the decay of plutonium-238 into electricity. According to DOE, this type of plutonium differs from that used in nuclear power reactors.

“In a radioisotope power system, commonly called a ‘space battery,’ the plutonium is processed into a ceramic form – similar to the material in your morning coffee mug”, DOE says on its website. “Just like a shattered mug, it breaks into large chunks instead of being vaporized and dispersed, preventing harm to people and the environment in the unlikely event of a launch or reentry accident. For more than 50 years, every radioisotope power system launched into space has worked safely and exactly as designed”.

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