WASHINGTON, August 5. /TASS/. The United States has plans to deliver a nuclear reactor to the Moon because laying down a nuclear power source on the Earth satellite will be useful for future trips to Mars and space exploration, Acting NASA Head Sean Duffy said.

"Listen, so this is not a new concept. This has been discussed under [first presidency of Donald] Trump, under [Joe] Biden, but we are in the race. We're in a race to the Moon, in a race with China to the Moon. And to have a base on the moon, we need energy," he told a news conference.

"There's a certain part of the moon that everyone knows is the best. We have ice there. We have sunlight there. We want to get there first and claim that for America. And to do this, this part of the fission technology is critically important to sustain life, because solar won't do it. But it's just a lower amount of that fission technology that's going to allow human life to sustain.

"And I think the start we have is, it's a 100 kilowatt output. That's the same amount of energy a 2,000 square foot home uses every three and a half days. So, we're not talking about massive technology. We're not launching this live. That's obviously, if you have any questions about that, no, we're not launching it live," the NASA chief explained.

"And in some key places on the moon, we will receive solar energy. But this promising [nuclear reaction] technology is crucial, and that's why we've spent hundreds of millions of dollars exploring the possibility of implementing it. Now we are moving from study to practice," he explained. "But, I repeat, energy is important, and if we want to support life on the Moon and then go to Mars, this technology is crucial," concluded the head of the agency.

Earlier, the Politico newspaper, citing documents, reported that the United States could accelerate plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon to counter similar initiatives by Russia and China. According to it, the NASA directive states that the first country to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon will be able to declare a restricted zone, which will significantly limit the capabilities of the United States. This is why the agency will begin searching for a contractor for the construction of a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor to be launched into space by 2030.