Lunar colonies, humans walking around and…: What Moon will look like in 2070; NASA preparing to…

NASA plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, which will power a proposed space station and a lunar colony full of astronauts on the lunar surface under the Artemis II and Artemis III missions.

NASA Moon Mission: Imagine the year 2070, there are small futuristic dome-shaped homes in lunar colonies stretching for as long as the eye can see, humans walking around on the lunar surface and going about their daily business as if they were on their home planet. Sounds like a science fiction story? Well, all this may become a reality in the near future, if NASA and other top global space agencies have their way in the new race to the Moon.

Sean Duffy, who was recently appointed as the interim administrator of NASA by US President Donald Trump, announced that the space agency plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, which will power a proposed space station and a lunar colony full of astronauts on the lunar surface under the Artemis II and Artemis III missions.

What is NASA’s plan?

According to Duffy, the proposed nuclear reactor will generate about 100 kilowatts of electricity, enough to simultaneously power about 80 US homes for a year. Project head will be appointed within the next 30 days and NASA will invite proposals from private players like Elon Musk-led SpaceX within 60 days, the acting NASA chief said, adding that launch preparations will be completed by 2029.

NASA announcement comes amid similar plans by Russia and China to build similar facilities on the moon within the same timeframe, thus triggering a new race to the moon. “We need to move fast, or else they (China and Russia), will leave us behind and create a ‘no entry zone’ on the moon,” Duffy said.

Why build a nuclear power plant on the moon?

NASA plan to build a lunar colony need a massive amount of power which cannot be generated using solar panels because either side of the moon is periodically bathed in sunlight for two weeks, and then drenched in darkness for the next two. Thus, solar power would not be enough to power a lunar colony of about a dozen astronauts and their equipment.

In this scenario, a nuclear reactor is the most cost-friendly and efficient option to power such a mammoth project that requires gargantuan amounts of electricity.

How much will NASA’s mission cost?

Initially, NASA has asked for $350 million to kickstart the Artemis mission in 2026, and $500 million per year from 2027, and though the actual mission cost is still being estimated, experts believe that building a nuclear reactor on the moon is likely to cost over $100 billion.

Notably, apart from the United States, its geopolitical rivals– China and Russia– are also in the moon race, while India also has major plans for a manned mission to the lunar world in the future.