White House Establishes National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power

Key facts

• The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has launched the National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power to deploy reactors in orbit and on the moon.
• The initiative sets a target to launch a lunar surface reactor by 2030 and begin orbital deployments as early as 2028.
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is tasked with leading the development of mid-power space reactors for lunar power and nuclear electric propulsion.
• The Department of War (DoW) is directed to deploy a mission-ready reactor for national security use cases by 2031.
• The OSTP has assumed the role of central integrator for coordinating federal space policy following the revocation of the National Space Council.
• The Department of Energy (DoE) will collaborate with NASA and DoW to leverage national laboratories and existing infrastructure for reactor development.
• The initiative prioritises milestone-based contracting and competitive design efforts with multiple commercial vendors to reduce costs and technical risks.
• The long-term objective includes scaling to higher-power systems in the 2030s to support advanced space exploration and commercial activity.