Posted on 08/12/2025 9:45:11 PM PDT by delta7
The space race is no longer prioritizing exploration but militarization and energy. The second space race will see the United States come up against Russia and China to place nuclear reactors on the surface of the moon.
US Transportation Secretary and interim NASA Administrator Sean Duff declared that installing a nuclear reactor on the moon is the agency’s top priority. The reactor will generate a minimum of 100 kilowatts of electricity to support lunar missions and infrastructure, and NASA has a firm deadline—2029.
Duffy also noted that the nation that reaches the moon first will have the ability to implement “keep-out zones” around their reactors. The US has a strong sense of urgency as China and Russia have a joint plan to create an automated nuclear power station on the moon by 2035.
Russia and China have been plotting to implement the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) since 2021, during the reconnaissance phase of the mission, where China’s Chang’e series and Russia’s Luna missions sought appropriate sites for construction.
The construction phase will begin in 2026 and last until 2035. Beginning next year, China and Russia plan to begin assembling a command center and sample return missions before assembling the core facility centers for energy, research, and communications.
The south pole of the moon has consistent sunlight needed for power. It is also believed that water ice may be present in the permanently shadowed craters. Nuclear power is crucial, as solar panels and/or batteries alone will not be able to supply a continuous source of energy due to the moon’s long nights.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons or military bases on the surface of the moon. No nation has declared that it wants to militarize the moon, and we are to believe their innovations are for peaceful purposes only. The reactors do have the potential for dual-use and will give the commander a massive technological advantage.
Who will reach the moon first? The US and Russia are spending on endless warfare, and China will soon be brought into the battle. Naturally there is a high price to pay for such technology. The US is considered the global leader in space capabilities and plans to launch humans to the Moon by 2028 under the Artemis project.
China’s technology is rapidly advancing, and its partnership with Russia will make for a true opponent. Whoever achieves lunar dominance first will become a leader in AI, nuclear powers, resource utilization, and communication technologies—the ultimate global power of the 21st century.
Oh, and it is of note that there may be an abundance of unexplored rare minerals on the Moon as well.
😆
What worries many is the armed CCP satellites orbiting the Earth with the ability to take out our GPS and communications satellites. If one was up there giving off radiation, I would take it out as one that would drop a nuke.
THIS is why they are going . That water is not only useful for human occupation but split up into hydrogen and oxygen it can be used as rocket fuel to send missions to other parts of the Solar System to exploit. This makes the Lunar poles the most important real estate in the Solar System ( next to Earth, obviously) Eventually mining the Ice on Europa can provide all the water commerce will ever need but you have to get there first. Europa , a moon of Jupiter, has more water than Earth.
The Moon is obviously the highest ground any nation could occupy and hold. Mere boulders tossed into space would impact Earth with the energy of a nuclear bomb. If nothing else we need to beat China in this game.
I worked for a major aerospace company over 25 years ago. I was part of the team preparing the annual long range plan . Most of the business plan concerned winning government contracts.
My part was the longer range plan on how we would grow in 20+years.
I told the room full of executives, “We have the capability to build capsules and spacecraft for missions spanning months as well as the launch vehicles and upper stages required.
Trips to and from some near Earth asteroids are possible in weeks. We can sell trips to those asteroids for companies, countries, and wealthy entrepreneurs to claim them. Later to mine them.
We can create a Land Rush to space as others decide they want to claim and mine the limited number of near Earth objects.
All of the miners seeking gold did not get rich, but the guys selling shovels and supplies did quite well. We can make money selling rides for a few billion each.”
They did not throw me out of the room. They understood that delta Vee to an asteroid is less than that required to land on Luna.
My plan was adopted.
Excellent!
IBTG
IBTS
Article:
“NASA has a firm deadline—2029”
They promise to extract their homework from the dog’s mouth by then.
Lol.
Time out...
Twenty five years have passed.
Where is the beef?
NASA can’t even get a rocket off the pad, let alone to the moon. We could have done this during the Apollo missions, but thanks to a panty wasted Congress, they decided to go with the shuttle, which in the long run, cost even more and did less.
Not to worry. Elon’s company is doing and already has done what NASA and others can’t.
The Space Port in Boca Chika Texas is evidence of NASA’s lack of ability
They are slow.
Over budget and behind schedule
You would not believe how boneheaded top management can be
If that company was not huge they would be BK
They shoulda made me CEO
NASA went DEI like the rest
It went from Von Braun to incompetent bureaucrats backstabbing each other
Private enterprise is our only hope
Twenty five years ago I sat my wife down and presented my plan.
We were going to win a Powerball jackpot and get rich.
She thought it was a great plan.
My bad management must be the reason it never happened.
Lol.
I sense skepticism that humans will eventually colonize and industrialize space.
Just imagine if Vikings around the year 1000 had not stopped their exploration in the New World. What if a single ship made it through the Gulf and landed in Mexico. What if they witnessed the riches of the Aztecs and returned to Europe to tell the tale?
Even though their ships and nav instruments were inadequate, the knowledge that there were immense riches across the Atlantic would have driven exploration and conquest centuries before Columbus.
In the case of Luna and near Earth asteroids we already know that there are immense riches.
The obstacles are financial and engineering.
It will take trillions in investment to build an economy off the Earth.
We will need safe, reliable, economical launch vehicles. We will need to pioneer deep space transportation and habitats to do mining, refining, smelting, and fabrication.
It may take decades but space mining will make trillionaires out of some bold souls.
Ad astra
You seem very good at speculation and dreaming.
There is nothing wrong with that.
But—it is wise to keep at least one foot on the ground.
Don’t get dazzled by promises.
Hold their feet to the fire—and make them prove every claim.
Interesting article that gives me pause:
https://futurism.com/elon-musk-starships-fuel-moon
The article is 2021—so don’t know if Musk has changed his views since then.
One more Musk article:
Note the missed deadlines.
I have a business background—when people miss deadlines I never trust them again—and have zero interest in their long list of explanations/excuses.
Different system from Apollo
Saturn 5 was huge and the only thing landing on Luna was a tiny payload
Reusable not required
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