Trump Signs Order Accelerating U.S. Moon Missions

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on December 18, 2025, directing a major acceleration of U.S. space efforts to secure American leadership in exploration, national security, and economic development beyond Earth. Titled Ensuring American Space Superiority, the directive sets firm deadlines for returning astronauts to the Moon by 2028 and establishing a permanent lunar outpost by 2030, while emphasizing commercial partnerships and nuclear power technologies.

The order, issued from the White House, outlines a strategy to treat space as critical infrastructure essential for both security and prosperity. It calls for deploying nuclear reactors in orbit and on the lunar surface to provide reliable energy for sustained operations, with at least one such facility ready for launch by 2030. Officials described this as a key enabler for life support, manufacturing, and resource extraction from lunar ice, addressing limitations of solar power in shadowed areas. To oversee this, the administration established a National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power, involving multiple agencies to expedite development and bypass traditional delays.