What Happened
Pentagon And NASA Collaborate On Space Nuclear Power Initiative
The White House has unveiled a new strategy to bring nuclear power to space through a cooperative effort between civil and military authorities. The National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power aims to demonstrate an orbital reactor in as few as five years, with NASA and the Pentagon conducting parallel design competitions. The initiative is part of the President’s National Space Strategy, which aims to achieve American dominance in space. According to a memo published by the White House, the Pentagon will pursue deployment of a mission-enabling mid-power in-space reactor by 2031, pending availability of funding. This development was first reported by Breaking Defense.