NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy signed a memorandum of understanding titled “Accelerating American Leadership in Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion,” the agency announced on Oct. 8, 2026. The agreement, signed by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Energy Secretary Chris Wright at the Science: A Golden Age Summit in Washington, is effective Sunday, Nov. 1, and establishes a framework for collaboration across space nuclear development, from research and fuel production to testing, launch integration and operations.

The release states that a December 2025 executive order directs NASA to develop a launch-ready lunar surface reactor by 2030. NASA said its Space Reactor-1 Freedom is planned to launch in 2028, with nuclear propulsion moving from laboratory research to operational deep-space use. That effort is described as paving the way for Lunar Reactor-1, a fission surface power system intended to sustain a future Moon base. NASA also cited the Dragonfly mission to Titan, planned for launch in 2028, which will use a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator and 24 Light Weight Radioisotope Heater Units, and said it plans to provide 24 similar heater units for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover.