(MENAFN) The United States is ramping up efforts to develop a nuclear reactor for deployment on the Moon, aiming to outpace Russia and China in what officials are calling a “second space race,” a news agency reported on Monday.

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy has issued a directive pushing for the creation of a 100-kilowatt fission reactor capable of operating on the lunar surface by 2030. The move is seen as a strategic milestone to ensure long-term space dominance and bolster U.S. national security interests in outer space.

“This is about winning the second space race,” a senior NASA official said, referencing the U.S. victory over the Soviet Union in the first space race, marked by the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing.

According to internal NASA documents cited by a media organization and other outlets, the agency was warned that whichever country successfully installs a lunar reactor first could claim a "keep-out zone," potentially limiting access to critical lunar territory for others — including the U.S.

Nuclear power is viewed as essential for extended lunar missions, especially in areas where solar energy is unreliable due to long nights and permanently shadowed regions. While NASA previously funded studies into 40-kilowatt systems, this new directive significantly raises the power target.

Russia is reportedly working on its own space-based reactor for the Zeus nuclear-powered tug, formally known as the Transport and Energy Module, further intensifying the technological race.

Duffy, who also serves as U.S. Secretary of Transportation, was appointed acting head of NASA last month by President Donald Trump, in what analysts see as a move to inject urgency and leadership into America’s lunar ambitions.

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