NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have signed a ten-year memorandum of understanding on space nuclear power and propulsion. The document was signed on October 8 in Washington by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and takes effect on November 1.
Titled “Accelerating American Leadership in Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion,” the memorandum sets out a framework for collaboration across the entire supply chain: advanced research, nuclear fuel production, testing, integration with the launch vehicle, and mission operations. The signing took place during the “Science: A Golden Age” summit, organized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Office Director Michael Kratsios attended the ceremony. NASA describes safety as the “central pillar” of the joint effort.
The agreement replaces and updates two earlier arrangements. The previous memorandum between the two agencies reaches the end of its ten-year term at the end of October, and the new text also incorporates the agreements announced in January and March of this year. Much of the content was therefore already known. What is new is the consolidation into a single framework, with a term of ten years unless revised or extended.
The backdrop is the December 2025 executive order “Ensuring American Space Superiority,” which directs NASA to develop a launch-ready lunar surface reactor by 2030. The two agencies report steady progress toward that goal. Isaacman said the agency is entering the era of “Nuclear NASA,” and that nuclear power will allow missions to travel farther, operate longer and carry more capable instruments.
The schedule already includes concrete missions. NASA plans to launch Space Reactor-1 Freedom, an operational nuclear propulsion demonstrator, in 2028, with the SR-1 mission to Mars slated for late that year. The radioisotope systems track remains active: the Dragonfly probe, bound for Titan and due to launch in 2028, will use a radioisotope generator and 24 heater units. NASA and DOE will supply 24 similar units for the European Space Agency’s Rosalind Franklin rover.
For industry, the signal is a practical one. A stable ten-year framework gives suppliers of fuel, components and testing services a basis for planning. Ongoing appointments at NASA point in the same direction: the new director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, Stephen Cash, will count nuclear and advanced propulsion among his growth areas ahead of the first crewed missions to Mars.
If the 2028 and 2030 dates are met, the first half of the next decade could see a reactor operating on the Moon. It would also be a useful demonstration for compact reactor technologies on Earth.
