Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy has directed the agency to fast-track plans to put a nuclear reactor on the moon.

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.