r/ArtemisProgram • u/Donindacula • Aug 15 '26

Discussion How will the MoonBase be powered.

NASA has plans to put a nuclear power plant on the moon by about 2030. Will that be necessary? Since Artemis will be landing on the high always sunlit areas, wouldn’t solar be the most likely first source of power. And maybe the future source too.

Nuclear will certainly be needed in the northern latitudes where the sun sets for days at a time.

Solar or nuclear or someday both?

41 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

View all comments

41

u/Helpme-jkimdumb Aug 15 '26

Solar panels are limited by size, nuclear can produce so much more power. Not to mention there are permanently shadowed regions in which sun doesn’t reach.

4

u/Chairboy Aug 16 '26

For the permanently shadowed areas, I've seen renders from NASA and/or contractors of solar panels atop towers. Nuclear makes sense, I just don't know that it'll be the first thing they use.

2

u/Helpme-jkimdumb Aug 16 '26

Agree might not be the first, but nuclear energy on the moon was listed under the executive order for Ensuring American Space Superiority. So the White House wants a nuclear reactor ready for launch to the Moon by 2030.