The White House has instructed the Pentagon: Send nuclear reactors into space within a few years

Deploying nuclear reactors into orbit as early as 2028, and on the Moon by as early as 2030—this is the latest directive issued by the White House to the Pentagon and NASA.

A six-page policy memorandum released on April 14 requires both agencies to engage in a dual design competition aimed at achieving “near-term demonstration and application of low-to-medium power space reactors in orbit and on the lunar surface.”

The policy document states: “The United States will lead the world in developing and applying space nuclear energy for exploration, commercial, and defense purposes. Agencies will establish cost-effective partnerships with private-sector innovators to achieve near-term goals, including safely deploying nuclear reactors in orbit as early as 2028, and on the Moon as early as 2030. Achieving these near-term objectives will establish technological feasibility, which is critical for unlocking space exploration, commercial, and defense applications.”

Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, linked this move to President Trump’s executive order from last December aimed at securing America’s “space dominance”: “Space nuclear power will provide us with continuous, reliable electrical power, heating, and propulsion capabilities—essential for establishing permanent robotic outposts on the Moon, Mars, and beyond, and ultimately enabling human presence.”

Todd Harrison, space policy and budget expert at the American Enterprise Institute, said the military applications of nuclear reactors are extensive. With reliable energy, the armed forces could power some of their most critical future missions:

“You can run data centers in space, power mission-critical systems that cannot afford to go offline—such as missile warning systems and strategic communications. Directed-energy weapons, electronic warfare, data centers—all these require massive amounts of electricity.”

According to the policy, the Department of Defense must report within 90 days to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Council on “relevant use cases and payloads” for these systems, as well as the “best uses for such systems by 2031.”

These agencies will jointly determine the final mission for this technology.

On Earth, the Department of Defense has long pursued deploying small-scale nuclear microreactors to power its military bases. Last year, the Army announced plans to begin construction of a microreactor at one U.S. base by 2027. Additionally, the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has designated eight companies as qualified to build these microreactors.

Last week, the Air Force and DIU selected Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana as potential sites for two microreactors. Furthermore, there is an independent pilot project testing operational effectiveness of reactors at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.

Senior U.S. officials have dismissed concerns raised by organizations such as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which warned that microreactors on U.S. bases “could become highly attractive targets for adversaries.”

Currently, there are no nuclear reactors operating in space, and no operational microreactors on U.S. soil. Harrison noted that the White House’s timeline for lunar reactors appears highly ambitious.

Harrison said, “This timeline and feasibility seem quite aggressive to me. Demonstrating microreactors on Earth by 2028 would already be challenging; doing so in space makes it even more difficult.”

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862621574124556/

Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author alone