Rolls Royce Plan for Moon Nuclear Reactor Stalls, Telegraph Says

(Bloomberg) — British engine maker Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc has halted a plan backed by millions in government funds to build a mini nuclear reactor on the Moon, the Telegraph reports.

According to the newspaper, the program, which planned to prepare a nuclear micro reactor to be sent to the Moon by 2029, has come to a halt due to the lack of potential partners. The newspaper stated that Rolls-Royce is still ready to continue working on the project.

The Telegraph added that the project, which is backed by the UK Space Agency and is investigating how nuclear energy could be used to power a future Moon base for astronauts, has received £9 million ($12 million) in government funding. The UK aerospace manufacturer said last March it was in talks with a number of potential partners for launch and landing services as well as lunar transport.

Rolls-Royce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The news contrasts with a recently renewed US commitment to support research and development of a nuclear resource for use on the Moon. America is committed to returning to the Moon, building the infrastructure to stay there and investing in space missions “to Mars and beyond,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in January.

Nuclear energy is seen as a potentially viable power source for future lunar exploration and habitation. A reactor on the lunar surface would provide continuous and abundant power regardless of sunlight or temperature, potentially enabling future sustainable missions to the Moon.

Rolls-Royce received £2.9 million in funding from the UK Space Agency in March 2023 to investigate how nuclear energy could be used to support future moon bases. The company was working on two contracts with the space agency; the first targeted concept design, the second involved product development primarily from the USA.

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