NASA is accelerating development of a nuclear reactor on the Moon and new space stations, with an eye toward future plants on Mars.

NASA has issued new directives to accelerate the development of a nuclear reactor that will operate on the lunar surface and to rethink its strategy for collaborating with the private sector in the design of future space stations, according to internal documents reviewed by Bloomberg.

The initiatives are being spearheaded by Sean Duy, recently appointed acting administrator of the US space agency by President Donald Trump.

One of the directives, originally reported by Politico, seeks to accelerate the development of a nuclear fission reactor capable of operating on the Moon. This system would serve as a power source for future lunar missions and could influence the design of power plants for future manned missions to Mars.

Although NASA had already awarded contracts to companies to develop small fission reactors, the new order instructs the agency to call on industry to design a more powerful model. The goal is to have the technology ready for possible launch by 2030.

The second directive is aimed at replacing the International Space Station (ISS), which is scheduled to operate jointly by multiple countries until the end of 2030. NASA is now seeking greater budgetary flexibility in its cooperation with private companies to develop commercial space stations to take over.

According to the guidelines, contractual terms will be modified to allow the agency to adapt to potential fluctuations in funding levels in the coming years. This new strategy also aims to foster a more dynamic and autonomous commercial space ecosystem.

These decisions come just days after a meeting between Sean Duy and Dmitry Bakanov, director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos. The meeting, the first between leaders of both agencies since 2018, discussed the future of the International Space Station and the possibilities for cooperation in lunar exploration.

According to an official Roscosmos statement, both parties discussed the continuation of their joint operations at the orbital laboratory and possible collaboration scenarios on future missions to the Moon.

*This content was rewritten with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from Europa Press, and reviewed by the journalist and an editor.