Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reportedly plans to announce plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon. (Getty Images; AP)
China and Russia have announced on several occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the moon by the mid-2030s, NASA said. If successful, that would potentially result in the declaration of a "keep-out zone," which could inhibit the United States from establishing a presence there.
The move means that NASA will continue to have input in nuclear development, despite the Pentagon’s recent cancellation of a joint program on nuclear-powered rocket engines.
Duffy also issued another directive to quickly replace the International Space Station, a priority for NASA.
SNUB OF MUSK'S NASA NOMINEE ALLY PRECEDED SUDDEN 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' CRITICISM, TRUMP FEUD
A supermoon with a partial lunar eclipse rises over Lake Michigan in Chicago, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
Trump announced Duffy to serve as interim administrator of NASA in July as withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman in May.
Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut and longtime associate of Elon Musk, was nominated by Trump in December 2024 but faced mounting scrutiny over ties to Musk and SpaceX, which some officials viewed as a conflict of interest.
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NASA has increasingly factored into the Trump administration’s national defense, innovation, and economic agenda.
Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.
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