NASA's plan to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon

The US space agency said in a statement that NASA wants to have nuclear power reactors for lunar and planetary expeditions, and announced three contracts with the Department of Energy to develop joint concept designs.

NASA hopes to have a design for a "fission surface power system" ready for launch by the end of 10 years, TRT Haber reports.

The contracts are part of the Artemis program, the US attempt to return to the Moon.

John Wagner, director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, described the project as "a very achievable first step towards the U.S. establishing nuclear power on the Moon."

The three 12-month contracts are worth $5 million each and will fund the initial design concepts for a 40-kilowatt fission power system in the brutal environment of the Moon.

NASA said the reactors could be used for the eventual Mars mission if they can be successfully placed on the lunar surface.

In addition to Lockheed Margin and Westinghouse, the third contractor will be a Texas-based team called IX. IX is a joint venture between spacecraft designer Intuitive Machines and X-Energy, developers of an experimental gravel bed reactor.

"Developing these early designs will help lay the groundwork for strengthening our long-term human presence on other worlds," said Jim Reuter of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate.

The space agency said the fission systems are relatively smaller, lighter, and "can provide sustained power regardless of location, available sunlight and other natural environmental conditions."

NASA also hopes to receive "critical information" from the nuclear industry that could lead to the development of atomic propulsion systems for deep space exploration missions.