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 — The White House released a new space policy directive Dec. 16 intended to serve as a strategic roadmap for the development of space nuclear power and propulsion technologies.

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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...