Acting NASA Administrator and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has ordered the space agency to accelerate development of a nuclear fission reactor for the Moon, aiming to have the system operating on the lunar surface by 2030. The directive, detailed in documents obtained by Politico and confirmed by Duffy at a 5 August press conference, is his first major policy move since taking the helm at NASA. Under the order, NASA must designate a project leader within 30 days and issue a formal request for industry proposals within 60 days. The reactor must generate at least 100 kilowatts of electricity—enough to power about 80 U.S. homes—and be light enough to ride on existing lunar landers. The unit would be launched in a non-operational state and activated after touchdown. The mandate doubles the output of the 40-kilowatt concepts NASA funded in 2022 under its Fission Surface Power initiative and compresses the schedule by several years. Duffy said a continuous nuclear power source is essential for sustaining crews envisioned under the Artemis program because the Moon experiences two-week nights that render solar arrays ineffective. Duffy framed the push as a response to Chinese and Russian plans to field a joint lunar reactor by the mid-2030s, warning that whichever country arrives first could establish a de-facto exclusion zone. Supporters view the reactor as critical to maintaining U.S. leadership in space, while skeptics question whether NASA’s tightened budget can support the fast-tracked effort.