NASA and DOE Forge Partnership for Nuclear-Powered Space Exploration

NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are jointly advancing next-generation nuclear technologies for space, heralding what they term the "Golden Age" of deep-space exploration. This collaboration aims to enhance civil space exploration, foster scientific discovery, and solidify American leadership in space nuclear power and propulsion. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated, "We are entering the ‘Nuclear NASA-era,’ which represents a major transformation for space exploration," emphasizing that nuclear power will enable longer missions, greater operational capability, and more advanced spacecraft and instruments.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), titled "Accelerating American Leadership in Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion," was signed on Thursday, October 8, 2026. The signing ceremony took place at the Golden Age Summit, hosted by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington. Isaacman and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright signed the agreement, with OSTP Director Michael Kratsios in attendance. The MOU, effective Sunday, November 1, establishes an end-to-end collaboration framework covering advanced research, fuel production, rigorous testing, launch integration, and operations, with an unwavering commitment to safety.

Secretary Wright remarked that President Trump's December 2025 Executive Order on Ensuring American Space Superiority directed NASA to develop a launch-ready lunar surface reactor by 2030, a goal towards which steady progress is being made through this NASA-DOE partnership. This agreement strengthens existing collaborations on fission and radioisotope power systems, supporting NASA's vision for a sustained human presence on the Moon and accelerating breakthrough technologies for future missions, including those to Mars.

Key initiatives include the launch of NASA’s Space Reactor‑1 (SR‑1) Freedom in 2028, which will transition nuclear propulsion from research to operational deep‑space application. This will pave the way for Lunar Reactor‑1 (LR‑1), a fission surface power system vital for sustaining future Moon Bases through lunar night, powering habitats, communications, instruments, rovers, and critical infrastructure, and addressing the energy demands of future Mars missions. Additionally, NASA continues to utilize radioisotope power systems, exemplified by the Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan, scheduled for a 2028 launch. Dragonfly will employ a Multi‑Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator and 24 Light Weight Radioisotope Heater Units to power and warm its car‑sized rotorcraft as it investigates Titan's habitability. NASA and DOE will also supply 24 similar heater units to ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover to maintain instrument temperatures on the Red Planet.

What to watch: Progress on the 2030 lunar reactor goal.

Editor's note: The report effectively incorporates all specific project names, dates, and official roles provided in the full text.