NASA is completing the initial phase of a project to develop concept designs of a 40-kilowatt nuclear fission reactor that could be used in future lunar technology demonstrations and plans to extend Phase 1 contracts awarded in 2022 to collect more information before moving the project to the second phase.
In June 2022, NASA and the Department of Energy awarded Phase 1 contracts to Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse and IX — a joint venture of Intuitive Machines and X-Energy — to develop design concepts of a small class fission power system as part of the Fission Surface Power Project.
“A demonstration of a nuclear power source on the Moon is required to show that it is a safe, clean, reliable option,” said Trudy Kortes, program director for technology demonstration missions at NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.
“The lunar night is challenging from a technical perspective, so having a source of power such as this nuclear reactor, which operates independent of the Sun, is an enabling option for long-term exploration and science efforts on the Moon,” added Kortes.
Under Phase 2, the space agency will ask industry to design the final reactor for demonstration on the lunar surface. Open solicitation for this phase is expected to occur in 2025.
Lindsay Kaldon, Fission Surface Power project manager at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, said information gathered from three vendors under the initial phase will help inform the requirements for Phase 2.
After Phase 2, NASA expects the reactor to be available for launch in the early 2030s. The system should perform a one-year demonstration on the lunar surface and operate for another nine years.
