The reactor would launch to the moon by 2030, according to a directive by acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy that was sent to NASA officials in July and obtained by NPR. It's an ambitious target that has some in the scientific community concerned about high costs and a potentially unrealistic schedule.

Is NASA going to put a nuclear reactor on the moon? Here's what Sean Duffy said about U.S. race against China in space and going to Mars.

Science budget? Whatever. It's all about beating China and Russia NASA's Acting Administrator, Sean Duffy, has directed the US space agency to come up with a plan to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon.