New lunar race begins: US, China plan nuclear reactors on Moon
A new phase in the global space race is taking shape, with both the United States and China announcing plans to build nuclear reactors on the Moon to support long-term human presence.
According to an article in The Conversation by Michelle L.D. Hanlon, professor of air and space law at the University of Mississippi, China has revealed plans to construct a lunar nuclear reactor by 2035 as part of its international research station project. U.S. officials, meanwhile, have indicated that a similar reactor could be operational by 2030.
NASA, along with the U.S. Department of Energy, has been working on small nuclear power systems for several years. These systems are designed to provide uninterrupted energy for lunar habitats, research stations, and potential mining operations. The move is seen as a strategic effort to establish a stronger presence on the Moon rather than a race to develop space-based weapons.
Historically, both the United States and the Soviet Union relied on radioisotope generators to power satellites, deep-space probes, and Mars rovers. This was done under the framework of United Nations guidelines adopted in 1992 to regulate the safe use of nuclear power in outer space.
International law does not prevent countries from deploying nuclear reactors on the Moon, provided they are used safely. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed by major spacefaring nations, requires that space activities be conducted with respect for the interests of all countries. A reactor on the Moon, however, could influence how and where other nations operate nearby.
Experts say that locating reactors in resource-rich areas such as ice-filled craters at the lunar South Pole could give countries a significant advantage in securing water and other essential resources for long-term missions. Nuclear systems would also provide a reliable power supply in areas that receive little or no sunlight, where solar energy is insufficient. This would be critical for running habitats, life-support systems, and scientific equipment.
Officials from both countries have stressed that deploying nuclear reactors on the Moon is not a territorial claim, but rather the creation of essential infrastructure to support research and sustained human presence.
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Karnataka govt tables Rs 14,767 cr supplementary estimates in assembly
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Monday tabled the supplementary estimates in the assembly, totalling Rs 14,767 crore of additional expenditure for the current fiscal.
Tabled by Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on behalf of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, supplementary estimates are additional expenditures incurred by the government over and above the budget provisions.
In the fiscal ending March, additional expenditures include Rs 147 crore on the Sadhana Samavesha to mark two years of the Congress government and Rs 223 crore for railway barricading to prevent human-elephant conflict.
As per the supplementary estimates, the government spent Rs 1.25 crore to purchase a Volvo XC90 for former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.
It also includes -- Rs 1,025 crore to clear various irrigation works bills, Rs 15 crore for helicopter and air travels by Governor, CM, ministers and other VIPs, Rs 110 crore towards scholarship and tuition fee reimbursement for minority students, Rs 15 crore for development of various temples, maths and trusts.
The government also spent Rs 1.4 crore to print a book comprising 'selected' speeches of Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Rs 50 lakh to clear pending electricity and water bills of ministers' residences, Rs 10 crore towards rehabilitation of families affected by landslides at Meppadi in Wayanad, Kerala.
Rs 5 crore each for Brahmin Development Board and Arya-Vysya Development Corporation, Rs 60 lakh to Supreme Court senior advocate Kapil Sibal for two appearances representing the government, Rs 5.13 crore towards bills from the Belagavi winter session of the legislature, Rs 5.5 crore towards pending bills from the 2019 and 2021 Assembly bypolls and the upcoming Davangere South and Bagalkot bypolls, are among the expenditures incurred.
