The US is rushing to put nuclear power reactors on the Moon and Mars, and hopes to launch the first system by the end of the decade. China had also reportedly unveiled plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon by 2035.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the interim NASA administrator, proclaimed that the U.S. needs to ‘get our act together’ when it comes to the ongoing race to the moon and Mars. To do this, Duffy wants the U.

Nuclear reactors in space may sound like something out of science fiction, but they are likely to prove important for powering long-term space missions.