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NASA plans to build a new nuclear reactor within five years on the moon.
The stated purpose is to enable long-term lunar missions.
But the real, underlying purpose is radically more consequential. And there’s a reason NASA’s keeping it under wraps.
65 years ago, JFK laid the groundwork for the original moon landing:
“This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon.”
The Space Race forced the U.S. to develop brand-new technologies, such as the rockets necessary to keep the Soviet Union at bay. And gave it a war-time economy by employing 400,000 people.
And that’s what JFK was after: earning the U.S. decades of global dominance.
The Stakes Are Far Higher This Time
Putting a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030 means kickstarting the domestic nuclear industry: re-onshoring supply chains, retraining a workforce, and jump-starting a permitting culture that’s learned to say no.
More importantly, it will have taken the only route possible to dominate the AI race.
China knows this. In April, they announced their own lunar reactor for 2035. Russia’s joining them.
This next moonshot is a winner-take-all round. Which is why the world’s reigning superpower will stop at nothing to take nuclear to the moon.
The U.S. Obliterates the NRC Roadblock
The first step to resuscitating the U.S. nuclear industry lies with ending the organization responsible for killing it: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
According to former NRC Commissioner Jeffrey Merrifield, the NRC is “one of the primary obstacles impeding” advanced nuclear reactor development. For example, GE submitted a reactor design for approval in 1989. The NRC didn’t finish its review until eight years later.
- The latest reactor design to be approved by the NRC cost $500 million and required a 12,000-page application.
The NRC’s primary job is to approve nuclear plants. Yet in the past 45 years, it has issued only two construction permits for nuclear reactors:
By contrast, China approved 10 new reactor constructions in a single day last year.
If the U.S. is going to beat China and Russia with a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, the NRC needs to be neutered first.
A July 2025 Executive Order did just that, ordering the commission to review and approve new reactor designs in just 18 months.
Fewer “Dead Months” and More VIP Express Lanes
Another Executive Order went much further, and for the first time, there is an “expedited pathway” to approve reactor designs.
Designs that have been tested and certified by the Department of War or Department of Energy are auto-approved, with a rubber stamp and no further review from the NRC.
The DoE and DoW aren’t in the habit of impeding progress; they’re the ones who get stuff done.
With them in charge, regulation time is over. The DoE has already…
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- Created a pilot program for three new test reactors and plans to achieve power at all three within one year.
- Mandated a working reactor on a military base by 2028.
Support for the nuclear moonshot is now being led by two well-funded, pro-nuclear agencies.
Which means it’s time to demolish the final nuclear brick wall.
Global Capital Flows to Nuclear
For a decade, renewables gorged on subsidies while nuclear starved.
The numbers are staggering: Solar and wind consumed over $25 billion in federal subsidies from 2016-2022. Nuclear? A rounding error.
The result was predictable, zero new nuclear plants while China built 37.
That just ended. Violently…
The One Big Beautiful Bill yanks cash in nuclear’s direction, drastically scaling back solar and wind subsidies while reversing an earlier sunset timeline for a nuclear power production tax credit.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also demanded that the World Bank remove prohibitions on its support for nuclear energy. And in June 2025, the World Bank complied.
It’s a sea change in the global posture toward nuclear. For the first time since 1959, nuclear reactors are eligible for World Bank funding.
Read that again.
And not just that…
- The World Bank lifting its ban on funding nuclear provides political cover for private institutions to invest in nuclear, unlocking trillions in capital.
The NRC is gone. Subsidies are up. Global funding is flowing.
If the government’s ambitions are successful, there will be a U.S. nuclear reactor on the moon in five years.
Brace Yourself for the New Nuclear Boom
As outlined in the Executive Orders, the U.S. government is pushing for ten new, full-size reactors on Earth by 2030.
That’s not a pipedream. Westinghouse has already committed to build those 10 new AP1000 reactors in the U.S.
Then, the goal is to quadruple the U.S. nuclear reactor base in twenty-five years, to 400GW of capacity.
That would provide 65%+ of current U.S. power needs (up from ~20%), securing energy independence, outpacing China, and powering our AI-driven future.
Energy Secretaries and multiple U.S. presidents have called for this before. But now, the time is right. The moves are necessary.
The United States will get there because, as Warren Buffett always says: “Never bet against America.”
As a new multitrillion-dollar market opens up, there are plenty of ways to profit from it, including fuel, infrastructure, and investing in nuclear itself.
But there’s one sector that’s completely unready for this shift…
The U.S. government is getting ready to defibrillate it into readiness.
And when it happens, you’ll want to be ready too.
Regards,
Marin Katusa and the Katusa Special Situations Team
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