NASA says its nuclear-powered spacecraft, Space Reactor-1 Freedom, is expected to launch to Mars in 2028. It will be followed by Lunar Reactor-1, a fission surface power system meant to keep a future Moon base running through the long lunar night.
NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy signed a memorandum of understanding on space nuclear power and propulsion on October 8, 2026, at the White House Golden Age Summit in Washington. The agreement takes effect November 1, 2026.