Fission Surface Power - Endless Power in the Lunar Night

The Moon is truly a harsh mistress. With lunar nights lasting two weeks and valuable lunar resources tucked away in permanently shadowed regions, it’s difficult to imagine sustaining scientific and industrial activities on the Moon with today’s available technologies. Not to mention the human life we envision for a permanent lunar presence. At Lockheed Martin, we see nuclear power as a cornerstone to establishing a truly sustainable, safe lunar economy.

The White House and NASA have identified fission surface power (FSP) as the primary power source for a Moon base. A recent White House Executive Order calls for developing and deploying “nuclear reactors on the Moon and in orbit, including a lunar surface reactor ready for launch by 2030.”

The technology our nation is maturing today – and has been since the 1960s – will soon power habitats, rovers and in-situ resource utilization plants through the long lunar night (two weeks of darkness), as well as send humans and science instruments to Mars and beyond.

“Prior to the Executive Order, it was a chicken and egg scenario – do we wait for the demand or is it ‘you build it, and they will come?’” said Bill Pratt, director of in-space infrastructure at Lockheed Martin. “This order addresses that, establishing a nuclear power source through the lunar night where industry and government build architectures and establish business cases and models for the future. NASA is developing an anchor for future commercialization.”

Lockheed Martin has been working the backbone of this technology and investing significant research and development to support its evolution. We’re leveraging our diverse heritage in space-rated avionics, nuclear power systems and nuclear instrumentation and control gained from decades of work on naval submarines.

In fact, in June 2022, the Department of Energy and NASA awarded Lockheed Martin a Phase 1 contract to develop an FSP concept. In January 2025, a Phase 1A extension added a risk reduction testbed to develop a space nuclear power conversion system. 

FSP is truly the foundation of a modular lunar grid that can grow to meet evolving mission demands.

A small five-to-10-kilowatt (kW) reactor can power a habitat or a rover charging station for full lunar day and night operations. However, power plants of this size will have limited excess capacity, creating a need for additional units as lunar operations increase. A 25 to 50 kW reactor would be ready to serve multiple habitats, human and scientific rovers, and emerging commercial and industrial activities.

Starting with a larger power system – such as 100 kW – would increase program risk and provide more power than needed for currently-planned lunar exploration infrastructure. But, there is still a way to meet long term objectives for large power systems with an initial mid-sized power plant.

Power conversion is a critical element of the nuclear core power module, and Lockheed Martin has focused on developing Brayton engines because they provide higher efficiency than Stirling engines for higher power levels – at or more than 50 kW.

“Our overall architecture is flexible and accommodates a wide range of user loads. But making a 100 kW reactor for Moon and Mars operations is more than just scaling up a smaller design,” said Kerry Timmons, business strategy lead for Lockheed Martin’s nuclear space programs. “It’s learning to master higher-temperature Brayton cycles and thermal management, while ensuring the system can operate autonomously. That requires further technology development, such as new materials for high temperature operations.”

A carefully planned, integrated architecture could use a lower power demonstrator on the lunar surface. Once proven, additional modules can be added step-by-step — scaling generation capacity, expanding distribution networks and reinforcing redundancy. Scaled from the initial demonstrator, the advanced platform could then supply more electricity to a variety of surface loads and support higher energy activities such as regolith-based oxygen extraction and propellant production.

A truly resilient U.S. space exploration strategy hinges on a diversified nuclear portfolio rather than a single program. By fielding more nuclear spacecraft, we can accelerate learning and preserve America’s leadership in advanced power systems.

On-orbit power systems and lunar surface power systems share similar reactor architectures, allowing government agencies and commercial partners to develop foundational technologies together, share a common supply chain and reduce lifecycle costs.

Starting with a lower power orbital system, on the order of 10 to 25 kW, is an ideal way to demonstrate key technologies, reduce risk, creating a stepping stone to future higher-power surface and orbital systems. The future of space nuclear power relies on first proving out fundamental capabilities such as power conversion, reactor control, heat rejection and spacecraft integration – and exercising the launch and regulatory approval process. This can be done in short order with strong government and industry partnership. Decades of development, advanced by the American government and private research and development, have placed U.S. industry in an ideal place to tackle and achieve this goal.

An integrated architecture should also leverage and support efforts like the Artemis campaign in a mutually beneficial way. A holistic strategy equips NASA, the Department of Energy and industry with a proven nuclear power framework that can be scaled from orbital platforms and lunar grids to spacecraft traveling to Mars. This ensures a durable energy backbone for the next generation of space exploration and commerce.

Nuclear technology fundamentally changes how space will be used and contested. In this new space race, America needs to cement its leadership in advanced space power and stay ahead of emerging geopolitical rivals.

“We need to build fast in this space race, but also sustainably if we are to grow the Artemis Moon base and nurture future commercial markets,” said Pratt. “Due to the cutting-edge nature of this technology, initial systems will need to be developed with strong support from the American government. The path is challenging, but the groundwork is already in place.” 

Nuclear power is an enabling technology that will reduce the cost for future missions and for commercial users. As a national priority, nuclear power will become the key enabler of a thriving economy on the Moon and beyond.