This year, NASA said returning to the moon with humans was a top priority. Through the Artemis program, astronauts will orbit the moon in 2026 for scientific research and land on the moon in 2027.
Now, NASA’s Interim Administrator Sean Duffy says plans to build a nuclear reactor to be placed on the moon will be sped up. “It is about winning the second space race,” said a NASA official.
NASA’s idea of placing a nuclear reactor in space is expected to occur around 2030. Their goal is to beat Russia and China to getting to the moon first.
The Trump administration is pushing NASA to get ideas from space analysts within the next 30 to 60 days.
Besides these two items, Kennedy Space Center along Florida’s East Coast will also be playing a on replacing the International Space Station.
Included with NASA’s mission, Axiom Space, Vast, and Blue Origin, located in Brevard County, will also assist NASA in meeting these goals.
For the upcoming fiscal year, the NASA budget is expected to see cuts from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion, representing a reduction of around 24%. The proposed budget shows some cuts to NASA, primarily in its workforce. Earlier this year, the space agency was offering employees early buyouts to save money.
Another cut could involve the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft after Artemis III. THE Trump administration wants more of the private sector involved, looking to partner up with commercial replacements.
But the one area where NASA is expected to see an increase in funds is for more human spaceflights.
NASA says it already has contracts ready to be announced and will be released within the next six months.
