Why it matters: Two concurrent developments – faster, more agile nuclear construction enabled by 3D printing, and the race to deploy a functional nuclear reactor on the Moon – signal a profound evolution in nuclear energy's role across both terrestrial and space infrastructure. Advanced manufacturing techniques are not only reshaping the future of energy generation on Earth but also redefining how humanity will live and work beyond our planet.
A new era for nuclear technology is emerging at the intersection of advanced manufacturing and space exploration. The US is leveraging 3D printing to build nuclear reactor components on Earth, while also accelerating plans to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030.
One clear example of this progress is the work underway at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where researchers and industry partners have made significant strides in using large-scale 3D printing to produce high-precision molds for casting complex concrete structures in nuclear reactors.
The technique, tested in collaboration with Kairos Power and Barnard Construction for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, has dramatically shortened construction timelines – reducing tasks that once took weeks to just a few days. According to the Department of Energy, these 3D-printed composite forms have been especially valuable for fabricating radiation shielding and other critical components with intricate geometries.
This leap in construction methodology is part of the federally funded SM2ART Moonshot Project, which aims to modernize nuclear infrastructure by integrating rapid prototyping, digital design, and smart manufacturing. The initiative also seeks to strengthen domestic supply chains and lower material costs, sometimes by using biocomposite feedstocks derived from forest byproducts.
As the pace of terrestrial reactor construction accelerates, US space policy is turning its attention skyward. Politico reports that NASA, under a new directive from acting administrator Sean Duffy, is fast-tracking plans to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon. The agency's goal is ambitious: to launch a 100-kilowatt-class reactor to the lunar surface by 2030.
This step is considered critical for overcoming the Moon's two-week-long nights, during which solar power is impractical, and comes amid intensifying international competition. Both China and Russia have announced plans to build automated lunar reactors by the mid-2030s.
The renewed urgency also reflects mounting political and financial pressures on NASA – including significant budget cuts – and a mandate to phase out the aging International Space Station in favor of commercially operated replacements by 2030. Still, the directive underscores the importance of maintaining US leadership in both space exploration and nuclear power technology.
NASA's lunar reactor initiative builds on earlier research into fission surface power systems and is designed to support extended astronaut missions, scientific exploration, and, eventually, the establishment of a permanent human presence beyond Earth.