Kilopower
An illustration of a Kilopower nuclear reactor on the moon. NASA is considering a flight test of that fission reactor technology, possibly flown on a lunar lander, in the mid-2020s. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — Less than a month after issuing a policy directive on space nuclear power, the White House released an executive order Jan. 12 seeking to promote the development of small nuclear reactors for space and defense applications.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...