NASA’s interim chief Sean Duffy has made deploying a nuclear reactor on the Moon his top priority, framing the effort as a "second space race". Washington hopes to beat Beijing and Moscow to powering a future lunar base with nuclear energy.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - NASA wants the United States to be the first nation to put a nuclear reactor on the moon. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy has directed the space agency to fast-track plans to do just that. Duffy, who is also the transportation secretary, explained the reasoning in a news conference on drones Tuesday.

NASA’s interim administrator, Sean Duffy, wants to place a nuclear reactor on the moon within the next decade. According to a NASA directive, Duffy has accelerated the timeline for building the reactor,