In 2023, NASA awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to design, build and test a nuclear rocket that could help humans travel to Mars in about half the time compared to those currently used in spacecraft.

NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy is fast-tracking the agency’s plans to build a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface, a move that highlights the Trump administration’s focus on human spaceflight and establishing a long-term presence on the Moon.

Spurred by competition from China and Russia, the Trump administration is pushing for nuclear power on the moon by 2030