US Seeks to Build Nuclear Power Plant for Moon, Mars

The U.S. Department of Energy is calling on the private sector for ideas on building a nuclear power plant to sustain life on the moon and Mars.

The Office of Nuclear Energy tweeted:

BREAKING: @ENERGY is seeking feedback from industry partners to help @NASA develop a nuclear reactor that can be used on the moon. 🌑

The energy system planned is called a fission surface power system, which would be used to sustain human life on the moon and Mars amid harsh space conditions, Time magazine reported.

"Small nuclear reactors can provide the power capability necessary for space exploration missions of interest to the Federal government," the Energy Department wrote Friday.

The reactor plans will be evaluated by the Energy Department, NASA, and the Idaho National Laboratory, the latter of which has been working to develop reactors that can run without the use of water, as water-cooled nuclear reactors on Earth operate.

"Idaho National Laboratory has a central role in emphasizing the United States' global leadership in nuclear innovation, with the anticipated demonstration of advanced reactors on the INL Site," associate laboratory director of INL's Nuclear Science & Technology Directorate Dr. John Wagner said in a statement. "The prospect of deploying an advanced reactor to the lunar surface is as exciting as it is challenging, and partnering with the most forward-thinking companies in the private sector and national laboratory system will help us get there."

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