NASA and the Energy Department Sign a Nuclear Deal for a 2028 Spacecraft and a Lunar Reactor

NASA and the US Department of Energy have agreed to work together on nuclear power and propulsion for space. The deal puts a nuclear mission on the 2028 calendar and a reactor on the Moon’s wish list.

The agreement

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed the memorandum of understanding on Thursday, 8 October, at the Science: A Golden Age Summit in Washington, DC. It takes effect on 1 November. Titled “Accelerating American Leadership in Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion,” it sets a framework for work across research, fuel production, testing, launch integration and operations. Safety is the central priority.

Two reactors

Space Reactor-1 Freedom, or SR-1, is set to launch in 2028. NASA says it aims to move nuclear propulsion from laboratory research into operational deep-space use. Lunar Reactor-1, or LR-1, would be a fission surface power system that supplies the planned Moon Base through the lunar night and in shadowed areas. It would power habitats, communications, instruments, rovers and resource processing. NASA gives no launch year for LR-1 and says it follows SR-1. A December 2025 executive order separately directs NASA to develop a launch-ready lunar surface reactor by 2030.

What NASA has not said

The release does not state a power level for either reactor. “Nuclear power will allow us to go farther, operate longer,” Isaacman said. Wright said the Energy Department is proud to partner with NASA. Both agencies also plan to keep supplying radioisotope heater units, including 24 for the European Space Agency’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover.

Sources

• NASA: NASA, Energy Department Advance New Era of Nuclear-Powered Exploration (8 October 2026)