Imagine a future where nuclear energy, and not the constraints of solar cycles and limitations of chemical rockets, dictates the reach of human ambition.
This is the strategic reality codified in the 2020 MOU between NASA and the US Department of Energy (DOE).
This bureaucratic formality serves as the high-stakes blueprint for humanity’s expansion into deep space. The idea is to transform the DOE from a terrestrial energy provider into a primary operational partner in the final frontier.
While space exploration may not seem important right now, here are three areas that the MOU covers by combining the agencies’ expertise, facilities and technical capabilities.
Nuclear energy is the space race battery
The agreement identifies nuclear technology as the cornerstone of future space exploration.
While solar energy is effective for orbital missions, the extreme energy demands of the fourteen-day lunar night and the immense distances involved in reaching another planet require a massive jump in power scale.
The MOU explicitly prioritises the development of fission surface power, radioisotope power systems, and nuclear thermal propulsion to ensure humans can reach their destinations faster and survive once they arrive.
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The no-exchange-of-funds position
A counter-intuitive aspect of this high-level partnership is its financial structure.
The agreement operates on a no-exchange-of-funds basis, creating a synergy where the agencies share expertise and facilities without the administrative friction of constant invoicing.
However, there is an explicit caveat that all cooperation is “subject to the availability of appropriated funds.” This phrasing is the legislative “kill switch,” meaning that while the brain trust is unified, the mission’s survival remains tethered to the whims of the US Congressional budgeting.
- NASA’s Contribution: Mission requirements, flight safety expertise and the unique orbital and planetary platforms needed for operational testing in the vacuum of space.
- DOE’s Contribution: World-class national laboratory infrastructure, nuclear fuel management expertise, and deep research capabilities in high-energy physics.
Our laboratory is the Moon
This MOU formalises the Civil Space-Nuclear Nexus, positioning the DOE as a central pillar of the Artemis programme.
By focusing on cross-cutting technologies, the document treats the Moon as a critical testing ground for systems that are ultimately intended for Mars.
The trajectory described in the Areas of Cooperation identifies nuclear thermal propulsion as the essential breakthrough required to shorten the trip to the Red Planet, reducing astronaut exposure to deep-space radiation.
A fission power plant that can endure the lunar environment is the prototype survival system for a Mars mission.
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The necessity of safety and regulation
The rules of the road for radioactive materials are what make large-scale exploration possible.
The MOU places heavy emphasis on regulatory maturation, establishing the necessary groundwork for the management of nuclear safety and the creation of regulatory frameworks that allow for the launch and operation of nuclear systems.
We cannot explore the solar system at scale until these legal and safety standards are ironclad between the two agencies. It will ensure that radioactive materials are handled with the highest level of interagency scrutiny during transport through the atmosphere.
What the future holds
This memorandum, signed by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, represents a promise of a multi-generational effort, including:
- Leveraging space-based observation data and atmospheric modelling to support Earth science, climate research and energy grid resilience applications.
- Conducting joint research in astrophysics, dark energy, dark matter, cosmic microwave background, heliophysics, space weather and planetary science.
- Partnering on critical emerging technology areas including quantum information science (QIS), microelectronics, robotics, energy storage and advanced materials designed for extreme space conditions.
- Developing energy generation, storage and distribution solutions for lunar and planetary operations.
- Researching in-situ resource utilisation technologies to extract and process local resources (such as lunar regolith and ice) into water, oxygen and fuel to support long-term human space exploration.
To date, developments include the selection of three companies in 2022 to develop initial designs for a 40kW-class fission reactor for the lunar surface. Each received approximately $5 million. In 2023/24, all three completed intermediate milestones and close-out reviews.
In 2024, NASA also reported that the initial fission surface power design phase was wrapping up, with the concepts intended to inform a future lunar demonstration and Mars systems.
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