The British company Rolls-Royce wants to build small nuclear reactors for moon missions. The British Space Agency has pledged 2.9 million pounds (3.3 million euros) to Rolls-Royce’s aviation division.
The company is said to be researching “how nuclear power could be used to support a future lunar station for astronauts.” By 2029, Rolls-Royce should be able to send a nuclear power plant the size of a car to the moon. According to a statement from Rolls-Royce, engineers at the company are already working on technologies “so that people can live and work on the moon”. Scientists from British universities such as the University of Oxford are also involved in the project. “Nuclear power has the potential to significantly increase the duration of future moon missions and their scientific value,” the company said. The US space agency NASA plans to resume manned moon missions in 2025. The last time US astronauts set foot on the moon was in 1972.
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