Amid significant budget cuts, NASA is fast-tracking the development of nuclear reactors on the moon and next-generation space stations with one clear objective: beating U.S. adversaries in the new space race.

Two new memos signed by interim NASA chief and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy outline a bold strategy to secure strategic ground on the moon. The centerpiece of this effort is a lunar nuclear reactor, a renewable and stable power source to support long-term exploration.

«The goal is to power everything,» a senior NASA official told Fox News Digital. «Our systems, habitats, rovers, robotic equipment, even future mining operations — everything we want to do on the moon depends on this.»

The moon’s environment makes this a necessity. Its month-long day cycle — two weeks of daylight followed by two weeks of darknessc — renders solar power unreliable. A reactor would allow missions to function around the clock.

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY DUFFY TO ANNOUNCE NUCLEAR REACTOR DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE MOON

China and Russia set sights on the moon

NASA officials warn that China and Russia have publicly announced plans for a joint lunar nuclear project by the mid-2030s. If they succeed first, they could establish exclusive control over the moon’s most valuable areas, locations with the most light and access to water and ice.

«They could set up a ‘keep-out zone’ in the prime locations,» the NASA official cautioned.

Despite financial constraints, Duffy’s leadership signals a renewed priority to lunar and Martian exploration. 

«China has already landed on the far side of the moon. We never have,» the official added. «They’re moving on a steady path to dominate this domain.»

The International Space Station will exit orbit in 2030.  (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP, File)

New contract structure for nuclear reactor development

The new directive solicits proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor — enough to power about 80 homes — with a target launch date of 2030. It also requires NASA to appoint a dedicated program leader.

Today, many robotic spacecraft operate at just a few watts, the equivalent of a couple of light bulbs, which severely limits scientific capabilities. While the ISS uses solar panels, that model doesn’t work on the moon or Mars, where sunlight is too weak or unreliable.

Replacing the ISS: Commercial stations on the horizon

The second memo shifts focus to replacing the aging and leaking International Space Station (ISS), which is scheduled to be retired in 2030. Without a successor, China would become the only country with a permanently crewed station in orbit.

NASA now plans to select two commercial partners within six months of issuing new requests for proposals. Under Duffy’s direction, the agency is moving away from traditional fixed-price contracts and will instead use flexible Space Act Agreements, which give companies more freedom in how they build stations while saving time and money.

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«We’re telling companies what we need,» a senior NASA official said. «But we’re not prescribing how they must do it. That flexibility saves us both time and resources.»

NASA wants the new station to be cheaper and easier to maintain than the ISS. Originally, it envisioned a platform that could host two astronauts for six months. But, under the revised plan, the minimum requirement is four astronauts for just one month.

NASA wants a new commercial space station that can house four astronauts for one-month stints. (NASA via Getty Images)

Background: The Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination program

NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination (CLD) initiative, launched in 2021, was structured in two phases:

• Phase 1: Fund companies — like Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — to design private space stations.
• Phase 2: Award contracts for building and certifying selected stations.

Duffy’s directive calls for skipping fixed-price contracts in Phase 2 and continuing with Space Act Agreements, in line with tightening budget constraints.

Budget cuts reshape NASA’s future

According to the Trump administration’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal, NASA’s overall budget would drop from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion, a 25% cut. The Science Mission Directorate, which oversees research in planetary science, astrophysics, Earth observation and heliophysics, would face a nearly 50% reduction. However, human spaceflight programs are slated for increased funding.

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NASA has also confirmed that nearly 4,000 employees — about 20% of its workforce — have taken voluntary buyouts in recent months.

Despite these setbacks, agency officials remain optimistic. 

«Multiple companies tell us they can deliver a station within two years,» one senior official said. «Timelines are always challenging, but we believe we can meet these goals — even on a leaner budget.»

Israel’s security cabinet overnight Thursday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to defeat Hamas, including taking control of Gaza City, after the Palestinian terror group torpedoed U.S.-mediated negotiations.

However, questions remain as to what the terrorist organization’s endgame is, and if they can be fully defeated.

«Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. It is a radical jihadi organization with a written and spoken goal to annihilate the State of Israel and replace it with a Sharia-based regime,» Jonathan Conricus, former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

«They operate according to that aim and objective. Hamas’s October 7 terror attack was part of how they planned to fulfill that goal—defeating Israel, killing all the Jews, and taking control of the area.

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«They are strategic, calculated, and extremely cynical—but definitely not suicidal,» he added. «They may employ suicidal tactics, but their strategic aim is long-term and deliberate.»

For example, Hamas’ «starvation» campaign generated significant international pressure on Israel, leading to steps such as the IDF announcing tactical pauses in fighting and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in coordination with international partners.

In the span of a week late last month, the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada announced their intention to recognize a Palestinian state, which the Israeli government denounced as a reward for terror.

In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, senior Hamas terror leader Ghazi Hamad said, «The initiative by several countries to recognize a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7.»

A Palestinian flag flies as Hamas supporters take part in a rally marking the 30th anniversary of Hamas’ founding, in Gaza City on Dec. 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Suhaib Salem)

Conricus said that such recognition has emboldened them. «They’ve hardened their negotiating stance and made it clear they don’t feel the need to compromise—which, of course, has a direct impact on the lives of the Israeli hostages.»

U.S.-mediated negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of the 50 remaining captives have stalled, with Hamas showing increasing inflexibility, according to officials familiar with the talks.

Last month, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Washington was weighing «alternative options» as Hamas «does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.»

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Members of the Hamas terror group gather in Gaza in preparation for the release of four female hostages as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel. (TPS-IL)

Palestinian affairs analyst Khaled Abu Toameh told Fox News Digital that Hamas’s position has been clear since the start of the war: to prevent Israel from achieving its objectives of removing the terror group from power and rescuing the hostages by force.

«It’s important for Hamas to be seen as emerging triumphant. They believe they’ve reached a point of no return.

«They know the international community will place the blame on Israel as the casualty toll rises. There is no pressure on Hamas to stop,» he added.

At the end of the day, Abu Toameh said, Hamas’s long-term strategy is to ensure its continued existence so it can carry on its jihad against Israel.

This image, made from undated bodycam video footage taken by a downed Hamas terrorist and released by the Israel Defense Forces, shows a Hamas terrorist walking around a residential neighborhood at an undisclosed location in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)

«October 7 was just another phase in this jihad,» he said. «It’s a jihad that began shortly after Hamas’s founding, when they unveiled their charter in 1988. The charter explicitly states that this land—the holy land, from the river to the sea—is Muslim-owned and will be liberated through jihad. It didn’t start with October 7, and it won’t end with October 7,» Abu Toameh warned.

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Experts say to understand the terror group is to simply look at its founding charter, which describes the «struggle against the Jews» as «very great and very serious,» requiring «all sincere efforts.» It calls the Palestinian terror group «one squadron» of a wider Arab and Islamic force that must continue fighting until «the enemy is vanquished and Allah’s victory is realized.»

El Foro de Familias de Rehenes y Desaparecidos ha condenado este viernes la decisión “imprudente” del Gobierno israelí liderado por el primer ministro Benjamin Netanyahu de ocupar la ciudad de Gaza, ya que conduce a Israel a una “catástrofe colosal” y supone “abandonar” a su suerte a los secuestrados en manos del Movimiento de Resistencia Islámica (Hamás).

“Al optar por la escalada militar en lugar de la negociación, estamos dejando a nuestros seres queridos a merced de Hamas, una organización terrorista maligna que sistemáticamente priva de comida y maltrata a los rehenes”, han subrayado en un comunicado.

Los familiares de los rehenes han argumentado que el Gobierno ha “ignorado por completo las reiteradas advertencias” de la cúpula militar y la “clara voluntad” del pueblo israelí. “La expansión de los combates solo pone en mayor peligro a quienes aún permanecen retenidos en los túneles de Gaza”, han reiterado.

No obstante, han afirmado que “aún no es demasiado tarde” y han hecho un llamamiento a la ciudadanía a “detener esta peligrosa” deriva. “La única manera de traer a los rehenes a casa es mediante un acuerdo. Basta de guerras inútiles. No nos quedaremos de brazos cruzados”, han zanjado.

El Gobierno de Israel ha aprobado en la madrugada de este viernes la propuesta de Netanyahu sobre una escalada de la ofensiva militar en Gaza que incluye la ocupación de la homónima capital del enclave en base a premisas como “la desmilitarización” y el control de su seguridad, así como “el regreso de todos los rehenes, tanto vivos como fallecidos”.

Un 30 % de los israelíes cree que su país debe continuar con la presión militar y ocupar la Franja de Gaza, incluso a costa de dañar las vidas de los rehenes, según una encuesta publicada este viernes por el diario Maariv.

La encuesta se hizo los pasados días 6 y 7, cuando ya se habían filtrado informaciones de la intención del primer ministro israelí, Benjamín Netanyahu, de tomar el control de todo el enclave palestino.

Este viernes de madrugada, el gabinete de seguridad del Gobierno israelí aprobó un plan para continuar la ofensiva en Gaza que incluye ocupar ciudad de Gaza, una urbe con un millón de personas, que serán desplazadas al sur.

Según la encuesta, realizada a 504 personas con un error de muestreo máximo del 4,4 %, la mayoría de los israelíes (un 57 %) cree sin embargo que Israel debería esforzarse por lograr un acuerdo con Hamás para liberar a los rehenes a cambio del fin de la guerra y la retirada de la Franja de Gaza.

Respecto a las negociaciones para un alto el fuego entre Hamás e Israel, un 66 % opina que el grupo islamista es responsable de su fracaso, ya sea exclusivamente (44 %) o principalmente (22 %); el 15 % culpa a Israel y el 13 % dice que ambas partes son igualmente responsables.

El gabinete de seguridad del Gobierno de Israel dio luz verde en la madrugada de este viernes a un plan militar propuesto por Netanyahu que incluye ocupar ciudad de Gaza.

En declaraciones a la cadena estadounidense Fox News anteriores a la reunión del gabinete, Netanyahu afirmó que su objetivo era ocupar toda Gaza, pero que no pretende quedársela ni gobernarla, sino mantener un “perímetro de seguridad” y entregarla a “fuerzas árabes que la gobiernen” sin amenazar a Israel y sin Hamas.

Las fuerzas armadas israelíes se han mostrado reacias a este plan, que supone operar en lugares donde se encuentran retenidos los rehenes (quedan 20 vivos y 30 muertos), por temor a que las milicias palestinas en Gaza los ejecuten ante el avance de las tropas, como ya ocurrió a finales de agosto de 2024 con seis cautivos, hallados el 1 de septiembre.

Según la oficina de la ONU para la Coordinación de Asuntos Humanitarios (OCHA), el 88 % del enclave palestino está sometido ya a órdenes de desplazamiento forzoso o se ha convertido en una área militarizada del Ejército israelí, que cifra en un 75 % el territorio controlado por sus fuerzas.

(Con información de Europa Press y EFE)