CLEVELAND — The NASA Glenn Research Center in Northeast Ohio has been selected to oversee a major space project that could bring nuclear energy to the moon, potentially involving billions of dollars in funding.
Glenn Research Center, which includes the Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, beat out other NASA facilities across the country to lead the development of nuclear power systems for lunar missions.
"I've asked [NASA Glenn Director Jimmy Kenyon] to take the responsibility of developing, fielding and acquiring that system for us for Artemis mission and our future lunar bases," Amit Kshatriya, NASA's new associate administrator, told News 5. "That program is going to be here at Glenn."
Earlier this year, NASA's acting administrator, Sean Duffy, issued a directive on Fission Surface Power (FSP) Development. CLICK HERE to read the full directive.
"Since March 2024, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s," the acting administrator said in the directive. "The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone, which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first."
"[We've been challenged] to solve the power problem in deep space," Kshatriya added. "That's essential. You can't do anything: you can't build infrastructure, you can't build a sustained presence unless you have power. That's going to help us power our moon base, help us power everything on the surface."
As part of the directive, NASA will partner with private companies to build a system capable of generating at least 100 kilowatts of power on the moon. That amount of energy is enough to power around 80 homes in Ohio at the same time.
The space agency will also help private companies clear regulatory obstacles to facilitate the development of this lunar nuclear power system.
"We all know the future of deep space exploration is going to rely on nuclear power," Kshatriya said.
Experts estimate the project could involve billions of dollars overseen right here in Northeast Ohio.
Matt Dolan from Team NEO, a regional economic development group, said the project could bring significant business opportunities and economic growth to the area.
"It means if they want to be part of the nuclear effort to bring power to the moon, to propel to Mars, to communicate, all that happens here — If you want to be a part of making that happen, you have to come here," Dolan said. "What that means is billions of dollars flow into Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. What that means for me as the economic development entity leader in this area is to build a commercial operation around the great work that's happening here at Glenn."
Kshatriya emphasized that the project's benefits will extend throughout the region.
"We're trying to build an agency that flies things — wants to build things, you're going to see that spread in the region around here," he said. "You're going to see industries all over Northeast Ohio benefit from that. The energy, inspiration provided by this center will spread to the entire region."
It comes after state and local leaders pushed earlier this year not only for NASA Glenn to avoid proposed cuts made in the White House's proposed NASA budget, but also to be the future headquarters for NASA. The space agency's lease at its Washington, D.C. headquarters is up in 2028.
Congress has since proposed rejecting the bulk of the White House's proposed cuts to NASA.
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NASA has set a goal of getting nuclear power operational on the moon by 2030.
Clay LePard is a special projects reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on Twitter @ClayLePard, on Facebook Clay LePard News 5 or email him at Clay.LePard@WEWS.com.
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